Chicago Fire-bound defender Mbekezeli Mbokazi has expressed gratitude to Orlando Pirates as he embarks on a new and exciting journey in America’s Major League Soccer.
Mbokazi signed a four-year deal with an option to renew with the MLS side last week and will join them after the conclusion of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco.
The 20-year-old has enjoyed an incredible 2025 that saw him promoted to the first team and captaining the side and also lifting trophies as a skipper and cementing his place in the senior national team.
After his last match in the black and white in the Carling Knockout Cup final in Polokwane, he expressed his gratitude and well wishes for the Buccaneers.
“I want to start by just being grateful for the win today,” said Mbokazi on SABC TV.
“It’s not easy for me to leave but because it’s work, there’s not much I can do. What I can say to the team is that I wish them all the best for the rest of the season and everything they will come up against.
“I don’t have much to say but all the best to the team. I still love the team, and I will always love it. This team elevated me to who I am today I just wish them well.
“What I will miss the most about the team is the good people who made me feel at home and the Cups we have won. But they will continue making me happy because I will continue supporting them.”
Mbokazi is part of the Bafana Bafana squad going to the AFCON in Morocco and he hopes that the winning energy Pirates players have will rub off on the rest of Bafana.
“What I can say as we are heading into the AFCON is that there’s a lot of us coming from this club and we will be arriving with this winning energy,” added Mbokazi.
“Our spirits are high, and it can be able to rub off on the rest of the players in the squad and we win everything. Nothing is impossible if we are united and fighting.
“What I can say to the coaches is thank you for trusting me and giving me an opportunity. There is nothing else I can say because I do not even have anything big to show them my appreciation.
“But me saying thank you for giving me a chance and trusting me makes me happy.”
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