The 26-year-old midfielder has been lauded for showing great leadership at the club
Orlando Pirates midfielder Patrick Maswanganyi has earned high praise from Stars of Africa Academy director coach Farouk Khan who believes he has grown into a leader at the club.
Maswanganyi enjoyed a good season at Pirates which saw him scoop three trophies at the PSL awards, being; PSL Players’ Player of the Season, voted for by his peers, PSL Midfielder of the Season, and Nedbank Cup Player of the Tournament awards.
That came after he had managed five goals in 27 PSL matches and impressed in midfield for the Buccaneers as they finished second behind Mamelodi Sundowns, while he scored four in five Nedbank Cup matches, including a penalty in the final, as the Buccaneers retained their crown.
‘It’s not just his playing ability but his leadership as well’
“I think he’s grown to become a leader at Pirates, which is so important in today’s football,” Khan told FARPost.
“When you look at a game when Pirates were playing Soweto Derby against Kaizer Chiefs. Pirates were behind [2-0]; I saw the interview in the changeroom at half-time.
“How Maswanganyi motivated the players, how he got the players to rally around in the field of play. He created a goal and was involved in another one. So, it’s not just his playing ability but his leadership as well.”
Khan then explained how Maswanganyi compares with Bafana Bafana legends Teko Modise and Lucas Radebe
Khan thinks Maswanganyi is same as Modise and Radebe
“We don’t realise the importance of personality; you can get good players without personalities,” he added about the player, popularly known as Tito.
“In the past, you could talk about the personalities of Teko Modise and Lucas Radebe, I think Tito falls into that category. Football at the highest level requires a player to have a very strong personality.”
Maswanganyi also won the MTN8 with Pirates and after such a stellar campaign, a lot is expected from the 26-year-old in the 2024-25 campaign, as the Sea Robbers vie for the PSL title.
