REVEALED: How Ntseki fumbled Mbokazi, gifting him to Pirates
What a twist, the one that got away?
Molefi Ntseki might have unintentionally contributed to Mbekezeli Mbokazi’s move to Orlando Pirates while he was on the Kaizer Chiefs staff.
Ntseki was impressed by Mbokazi but didn’t act quickly enough
In 2023, Mbekezeli Mbokazi turned out for his hometown’s SAB outfit Makhasa FC. He then made a last-minute switch to Langalibalele Academy for the 2023 Engen Knockout Challenge.
After featuring in only 15 minutes during a friendly before the tournament, Mbokazi impressed the then-head of Technical and Youth Development for Kaizer Chiefs, Molefi Ntseki. Scout Ace Nkuse felt the same.
“What surprised me is that he only played 15 minutes and I phoned Kaizer Chiefs straight away,” Langalibalele Academy coach Wonder Mnguni told FARPost.
“That was my first time seeing him, I phoned Molefi Ntseki. I said there’s a left centre-back here, he’s out of this world. I told him, ‘I can guarantee you’ll want to sign this boy’. He said to me, ‘Okay coach we will see’.
“I phoned Ace Khuse, I told him the same thing so that more people at the club would push for him. I wanted him to join Chiefs. They said they will organise [things]. I saw that they were delaying.”
New deal for Mbokazi at Orlando Pirates
Soccer Laduma is reporting that Pirates are readying a bumper senior contract for the prodigiously gifted central defender Mbekezeli Mbokazi.
“For now the deal and the new contract are as good as done. The talks have been going on since he (Mbokazi) was recommended to start training with the (Pirates) first team in August last year before he went with the Under-20 national team to the COSAFA Cup in Mozambique which (his team) South Africa won. Yes, it’s a four-year contract which will run until June 2029,” said the source.
“He (Mbokazi) is going to be playing with a senior team contract but he is still eligible to play for the (Pirates) DDC side if they need him. Both Rele Mofokeng and Mohau Nkota have done that before and it’s mainly to keep the player St and have more game time. But the four-year contract is for the senior team,” said the source.
Did Ntseki inadvertently help Pirates to sign one of the best defenders of his generation?
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