Siyabonga Mpontshane arrives with the Orlando Pirates team at the Moses Mabhida Stadium. Image: BackpagePix.
Fact: Orlando Pirates player older than Sundowns coach Rulani
We easily forget how young Mamelodi Sundowns coach Rulani Mokwena is. A player at Orlando Pirates is older than him.
Siyabonga Mpontshane arrives with the Orlando Pirates team at the Moses Mabhida Stadium. Image: BackpagePix.
Orlando Pirates have a few veterans in the 2023/224 squad, one of them is even older than Mamelodi Sundowns coach Rulani Mokwena.
ORLANDO PIRATES PLAYER OLDER THAN RULANI MOKWENA
Sundowns coach Mokwena somewhat surprised us last month, but it was necessary. The local football community easily forgets that Mokwena is quite young at 37. The Soweto-born coach, who is the nephew of Orlando Pirates legend Jomo Sono, told the media is he still a young coach.
“One of the things that I think South African football forgets sometimes and remembers only when it suits them is that I’m only 37-years-old and that I’m only in my first year as a (solo) head coach of Mamelodi Sundowns,” Mokwena said via the Citizen after losing to Esperance in the CAF Champions League semifinals.
The mention of his age left us thinking. How many players are older than Mokwena? There’s one at Sundowns, one at Orlando Pirates but none at Kaizer Chiefs.
NINE PLAYERS OLDER THAN MOKWENA
- Bernard Parker, 38, TS Galaxy
- Onismor Bhasera, 38, SuperSport United
- Nazeer Allie, 38, Cape Town Spurs
- Washington Arubi, 38, SuperSport United
- Lindokuhle Mbatha, 38, TS Galaxy
- Siyabonga Mpontshane, 38, Orlando Pirates
- Denis Onyango, 38, Mamelodi Sundowns
- Clayton Daniels, 39, Cape Town Spurs
- Vuyo Mere, 40, TS Galaxy.
MAMELODI SUNDOWNS COACH RULANI MOKWENA WINS COSAFA COACH OF THE YEAR
What a night for the young coach. Mamelodi Sundowns‘ Mokwena has been named Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (COSAFA) Coach of the Year.
Thanks to his leadership, the Kabo Yellow coach was honoured on Thursday night after Sundowns won the African Football League title in November 2023 before losing the COSAFA Champions League semifinal match to Esperance in April.
Meanwhile, two of Mokwena’s Sundowns players also walked away with gongs. Ronwen Williams was named the Goalkeeper of the Year, while Thapelo Maseko was crowned as the Most Promising Player.
