Cardoso Explains Why Mofokeng And Mbokazi Succeed Abroad

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso believes Relebohile Mofokeng and Mbekezeli Mbokazi are proving that South African youngsters can succeed abroad when placed in the right environment.

Mbokazi joined Major League Soccer side Chicago Fire in January after leaving Orlando Pirates, and the young defender has continued to impress in the United States with consistently strong performances.

The move has given Mbokazi an opportunity to test himself in a different football environment, with his performances in MLS earning him significant recognition during his time in America.

Mofokeng, meanwhile, recently completed his move from Pirates to Belgian Pro League side Royale Union Saint-Gilloise, beginning a new chapter in his promising career.

The 21-year-old has already made an impressive start to life in Belgium, helping Royale Union Saint-Gilloise win the Belgian Super Cup after defeating Club Brugge. Mofokeng played a decisive role in the victory, scoring the winning penalty.

His positive start continued in the Belgian league, where Mofokeng scored his first league goal for Royale Union Saint-Gilloise in his first appearance for the club, further underlining his immediate impact following his move from South Africa.

For Cardoso, the progress of Mofokeng and Mbokazi is evidence that South Africa has the quality to produce players capable of succeeding at a higher level when their moves abroad are carefully managed.

“I think it’s important that we understand that, in the last year and a half, a few young players have gone abroad to play, from Mbekezeli Mbokazi to Puso Dithejane, to the Player of the Championship, Tylon Smith,” he said.

“I always told you that there’s quality in South Africa. The question is how we take that quality and how we are able to find the right environment for the players to have success.

“It’s not only about putting them there; it’s where they go, how they go, and what the people who want to receive them want to get from them. So, what kind of project do you have for the player you’re going to receive? And this is an obligation that the clubs need to have.

“I’m happy to see Mofokeng doing so well as a start. I’m so happy to see what happened with Mbokazi being highlighted on the platform that he has had throughout the last campaign of the MLS.

“Dithejane, as we know, the coaches spoke about him recently, about how he’s now adapting. So we know that, and I hope the same will happen with Thapelo Maseko, as he was in Cyprus.”

Maseko has since been sold by Sundowns to Danish side FC Copenhagen, who unveiled him on Tuesday morning.

Cardoso also turned his attention to another Sundowns youngster, Thato Sibiya, who is set to join French Ligue 1 side Lille.

The Portuguese coach believes Sibiya has been presented with a fantastic opportunity to continue his development at a club renowned for nurturing young players, although he warned that the youngster will face a highly competitive environment in France.

“Regarding Thato, fantastic opportunity,” he added.

“As you know, I coached in France, so I know very well the club where he is going. I know very well the facilities that they have, I know very well the stability in terms of the process of development of young players and the last stage of the affirmation of young players.

“It’s also, at the same time, a very, very, very competitive environment that he’s going to face. Obviously, I think he’s ready for the challenge.

“What will speak for him is not the level of readiness he takes; it’s the level of readiness he’s going to continue to develop there, because there are obviously steps that need to be taken there so that he can be provided with the opportunity, even in the future, to be in the first team.

“French football is very special. It’s a very athletic football, where he will have to cope, especially with the front players, who are very, very quick and very athletic. It’s a game that has a lot of transitions and a lot of exploitation of spaces.

“In some moments, he has a few things that can be related to our game, but Lille is a school of good football. It’s a team that likes to play good football, so I think that is also a good environment for him because of that.

“From my side, as much as we believe that the boy could be an important player for the future of Sundowns, we also know that he will be an important player for the future of South Africa.

“And that’s an opportunity that obviously it’s difficult to say no to, and the club just had, eventually, to protect its own rights in the situation. So we are excited about that.

“We want to see him succeed, and we want to see him showing the character that he needs so that he speaks also about what kind of players we develop in the club and how his affirmation will obviously make us very proud, and we think he has the conditions for it.

“But he still has a lot to do there when he arrives. That’s the challenge. It’s a fantastic opportunity.”

Mofokeng’s early success in Belgium and Mbokazi’s progress in MLS represent encouraging examples of what South African youngsters can achieve when given the right platform, while Sibiya’s upcoming move to Lille offers another promising player an opportunity to continue that trend.