Football
Exclusive: “This is a Team Filled with Leaders,” says Pirates Former Captain Lucky Lekgwathi
Former Orlando Pirates captain Lucky Lekgwathi praises coach Jose Riveiro's signings, credits team leadership for the recent MTN8 trophy win, and reflects on the decade-long league title drought
Image Credits: Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images/Getty Images
Following Orlando Pirates’ third consecutive MTN8 trophy, former captain Lucky Lekgwathi says the success boils down to the signings made by coach and club chairman.
A TEAM FILLED WITH LEADERS
In two years, Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro has added five trophies in the Orlando Pirates cabinet following their 3-1 victory over Stellenbosch FC in the MTN8 final at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban this past weekend.
With the five trophies, coach Riveiro, a Spaniard mastermind, has rejuvenated the souls of the millions that support Orlando Pirates in the township of Soweto.
Along with the fans, former club captain Lucky Lekgwathi, is also a happy Buccaneer having watched Pirates demolish the Western Cape-based Stellenbosch FC to win the MTN8 trophy for a third consecutive season.
Lekgwathi, told SportsBoom.com that the key to Pirates' newly found success is in the characters that they have signed in the last couple of years.
Lekgwathi highlighted that Orlando Pirates Chairman Irvin Khoza and coach Riveiro have signed players who were leaders from the former clubs, thus creating a side filled with players with leadership qualities.
"We'll make a big mistake if we don't start by congratulating the chairman and everyone involved in assembling the team that they have assembled. If you look at all the signings, all of those players were leaders in their former teams. This is a team filled with leaders," Lekgwathi told SportsBoom.com.
You look at Tapelo (Xoki) from Amazulu FC, he was a leader, and now Deano (Van Rooyen) from Stellenbosch FC, he was a leader there. Credit must go to the coach, and everyone involved.
Lucky Lekgwathi
A TEAM WITH A HECTIC COMPETITION FOR SPOTS
Lekgwathi also added that with the new signings made, there is a healthy competition for spots in the team, a feat that the team has not had in the past.
The 48-year-old former Pirates captain reckons that it is this competition for spots that has resulted in highly disciplined players donning the black and white colours of the mighty Soweto Giants in the last couple of years.
"There's competition for spots in the team this season compared to last season," said Lekgwathi.
The competition is so hectic, and it has led to discipline and hard work in the team. It's no longer a common sight to see a Pirates player get a red card or a yellow card, they are so disciplined.
Lucky Lekgwathi
A DECADE WITHOUT LEAGUE SUCCESS
Despite the team's unparalleled success in cup competitions, they are yet to win the league in over a decade. In fact, the last time Orlando Pirates won the league was when Lekgwathi was still captain, during the 2011/12 season.
Lekgwathi emphasised that the current team is not as experienced as his team was a decade and experience is what carries teams to league titles.
"I'm the last captain to win the league which is sad. If you compare between the two teams, we had a good combination of senior players and youngsters and our coach at the time knew how to win the league," Lekgwathi explained.
"We had consistency because we had senior players. Senior players will get you the consistency to win the league, but youngsters will win you cup competitions.
"This new team can go into the league; they drop crucial points because they are a young team. They lose against the so-called small teams but against big teams they come to the occasion. For us it was different."
With the MTN8 finals a thing of the past, Pirates will set their sights on the ongoing Betway Premiership and the upcoming CAF Champions League in which they have been drawn in the same group as their Egyptian arch-rivals Al Ahly FC.
Ongama Gcwabe is an experienced Sports Journalist based in South Africa. In his career, Ongama’s work has been published in the country’s biggest newspapers company, Independe Newspapers, and some of the leading news and sports websites including IOL Sport.