Mbekezeli Mbokazi is one of the emerging youngsters in the top-flight right now, and if he continues to work hard, he could become one of the best defenders.
Mbokazi has been the talk of town in recent weeks after slotting in Orlando Pirates’ defence like a seasoned campaigner.
The 19-year-old was initially a quick-fix for the shaky Pirates defence which included errors, suspensions and injuries, but he hardly put a foot wrong.
So much so that since making his debut against Chippa United, Mbokazi has started in all Pirates’ matches, including domestic and international football.
Mbekezeli Mbokazi in all domestic competitions this season;
5 Games
3 Clean Sheets
3 MOTM Awards
1 Goal
Potentially 12 games to play still...
Should he be a contender for Young Player of the Season? 🤔#BetwayPrem #NedbankCup pic.twitter.com/P2z5a2nWWX
His qualities, which include, calmness on the ball, timely tackles, accurate passes and shots at goal, is what has made him stand out.
But Mbokazi will be the first to admit that he wouldn’t have fitted in seamlessly into the team after being promoted from the reserves if it wasn’t for his defensive partners.
Mbokazi is paired alongside Tapelo Xoki, Nkosinathi Sibisi and Deano Van Rooyen at the back, and that’s comforting for him as he looks up to Sibisi as well.
But it’s Xoki who has weighed in on what has made Mbokazi special, given that he’s also been called up to play for the SA U20 side that’ll compete the age group's Africa Cup of Nations this month.
“He has made it easy for us to play with him. He listens, he works hard, so we just guide him where we need to,” Xoki said.
“We don't want to give him too much on information, but we let him play his game, allow him to make mistakes and cover him when he makes those mistakes.
“We just encourage him to be himself - and that's the same with the other youngsters. We don’t want to impose a lot of information on them.
“We just let them be and allow them to enjoy themselves. So it’s for him to take things game by game because the sky is the limit and the world is his oyster.
“Who knows? If he keeps doing the things that he’s doing right, and improving where he needs to, he could be the next big thing in this country.”
If it wasn’t for the outgoing coach Jose Riveiro, perhaps there’d be no Mbokazi to rave about - the Spaniard has been behind the resurgence of youngsters at the club this season.
Riveiro will leave Pirates at the end of the season after deciding against renewing his contract, something that has caused a rollercoaster of emotions.
And after ticking another box in his Pirates illustrious stint, guiding the team to the CAF Champions League semi-final, that added more emotions to his imminent departure.
But Xoki says Riveiro has guarded them against being emotional as he wants full commitment from everyone until the end of the season.
“We’ll look at that in the last games of the season - now we are just taking it one game at a time. The important thing is to always go to the next round (of the competition),” he added.
Pirates will face Pyramids in the continental showpiece semi-final first leg next Friday. Hence they need to focus on their Nedbank Cup defence tomorrow afternoon and move on.
They will host Marumo Gallants in the semi-final of the Ke Yona Cup at Orlando Stadium, and Xoki says they want to win the competition to leave lasting memories with Riveiro.
“We want to make sure that we continue on the right path,” the Pirates deputy club captain added.
“We want to create memories together, create history together, and have something special to celebrate with him in his last few months with us.
“We are proud of ourselves as a unit, and it means a lot to us to be where we are, but the job is not finished.
“We have a semi-final coming up, we need to focus on the forthcoming games. We want to make history and leave the club in a better state.”