Orlando Pirates head coach Jose Riveiro says he feels proud when he sees how the players allowed Boitumelo Radiopane to take the penalty in their 8-1 thrashing of Marumo Gallants.
In the goal feast at Orlando Stadium, Pirates hammered Bahlabane Ba Ntwa 8-1 and young Radiopane scored his first goal for the club.
The former DStv Diski Challenge Golden Boot winner hasn’t got much game-time since returning from his loan at Cape Town Spurs, as he is competing with experienced strikers like Evidence Makgopa and Tshegofatso Mabasa.
Riveiro was pleased by the gesture shown by his players when they decided to give the penalty to Radiopane to boost his confidence, which left Radioman in tears after the final whistle as his teammates celebrated with him.
“I said it already a not long time ago, the human level of this group is something else,” Riveiro told the media.
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“To be honest, they make us feel proud almost every day in things I cannot say publicly that belong to the privacy of the team.
“Today, it was public, it was obvious to see how much they care about each other, knowing that the competition in the team for players like [Boitumelo] Radiopane, for example, it’s terrible, he is competing with a Bafana Bafana striker [Makgopa], with top goalscorer of last season, Tshegofatso Mabasa and its difficult to get minutes in a team that play with one number nine so far.
“But the way that he is working, his dedication, the professionalism, the good soul that he is, you can see today that everyone was happy to see Radio on the field and having an opportunity to score a goal, get confidence because we need everybody.
“We are going now to a congested period of games in January and February.”
