Langalibalele Sports Academy senior coach Wonder Mnguni has revealed how they discovered Orlando Pirates starlet Mbekezeli Mbokazi saying he knew immediately that the 20-year-old was a special talent.
Mnguni told iDiski Times journalist Sinethemba Sithole in edition 225 of the newspaper that Mbokazi joined the Academy mid 2023 coming from Hluhluwe where there aren’t as many opportunities as possible for players to turn professional.
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The coach said Mbokazi was a perfect fit for the Academy’s Engen Knockout Challenge which was hosted in Durban something that almost had him in tears as he realised just how good the center-back is.
“When we play tournaments like Engen, we usually invite players from the rural areas to give them opportunities,” Mnguni told iDiski Times.
“Mbekezeli was not the only one; there were several other players we invited for trials, then we saw talent. It’s just that I saw a different talent with him. I remember vividly, when I first saw him, tears welled up in my eyes because football is in my veins.
“So, when I see a special talent, I can feel it. I was like, ‘What a talent!’. He was in the under-18 team, and we were playing a good senior team, but he was just so perfect on the day. With him, we just polished little things before he left.”
Mnguni further described how quiet the Bafana Bafana international was when he arrived, however was a different beast once on the pitch.
“When he came here, he was that boy who was a little bit shy and quiet; it’s just that whenever he entered the field, he was never quiet, he’d command,” added Mnguni.
“He just didn’t care that he was new in the team; he was commanding, and you could see he didn’t want to fail.
“As a kid, he struggled to speak up for himself, and before he came here, coaches where he comes from took advantage of that, claiming him for their tournaments there.”
“Even when the time came to join us for Engen, other coaches attempted to stop him. Ultimately, his uncle had to whip him with a sjambok to ensure he left for Durban, understanding that it was necessary for him to seize better opportunities.”
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