Bafana Bafana winger Mohau Nkota has admitted his exit from Orlando Pirates was very emotional but he made the decision to leave the Buccaneers because he wants to go “as far possible”.
Nkota, 21, has had a brilliant breakthrough campaign at Pirates last season, scoring seven goals in 39 games, including four in the CAF Champions League.
His fine form didn’t go unnoticed, with Saudi Pro League side Al-Ettifaq coming knocking. In Saudi, he immediately impressed, scoring in his debut and although his numbers have faded a bit, the South African starlet has left a mark already.
However, he admitted his last week before moving from Mayfair to Dammam, where his new club is based, was very emotional.
“It wasn’t easy,” Nkota told the Saudi Pro League.
“It was emotional, leaving the club where you grow up. They taught me a lot of things. My last week, it wasn’t easy to go in and say goodbyes to the guys.
“It was very emotional for me, so I found the last day hard, that I will never see them again. To the Orlando Pirates fans, thank you.
“I wanted to leave; I wanted to play football. I want to go as far as I can.”
Nkota’s World Cup Dream
Nkota missed the recent Bafana clashes with Panama after the passing of his father, but he has been a regular in Hugo Broos’ squads since September last year, being part of the Belgian tactician’s 2025 Africa Cup of Nations selection.
He will hope to make the Bafana squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and is confident Bafana can make it out of Group A with Mexico, Czech Republic and South Korea.
“We have a very good team; we have a lot of quality. I believe it’s achievable for us to go to the next round,” he added.
“Going to the World Cup, we want to make it a dream. We want people to remember what we left at the World Cup.
“We want to make sure that we leave a mark, make sure we play our best. And then we hope that something good will come.”
On Wednesday evening, Nkota could potentially feature in his side’s clash with Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr.
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