It is not every day a player joins Orlando Pirates and walks straight into the starting line-up against the mighty Mamelodi Sundowns in an MTN8 semi-final clash.
Just over a week after being announced as a new Pirates player on PSL transfer deadline day, Ndabayithethwa Phillip Ndlondlo was in the starting eleven in the club’s first game after the FIFA international break.
The diminutive Ndlondlo made a superb first impression as he walked away with the Man of the Match award on his Pirates debut in the goalless draw against Sundowns in the first leg of the MTN8 semi-final clash at Orlando Stadium.
The 27-year-old midfielder put pen to paper on a three-year deal at Bucs for an undisclosed fee from Limpopo side Marumo Gallants.
And Ndlondlo, who displayed his creativity, good range of passing, excellent technical ability and impressive work rate in attack and defence, has already proved his worth at the Soweto giants.
Pirates coach Jose Riveiro, who is seemingly not a fan of praising players individually, has explained the decision to start Ndlondlo against Sundowns.
PIRATES COACH COMMENTS ON NDLONDLO
“I don’t believe in individual trophies,” Riveiro told the media in Soweto,
“I am happy for the boy because it is not easy to arrive in a place like Pirates with the level of demand, our high standard, and how much we demand of yourselves.
“He has been fantastic since he arrived, and that’s the reason why we felt comfortable and confident to play him in the starting XI.
“I think you didn’t discover Phillip tonight; he is a player who has already proved his value in the league and his capacity to play football.”
“And when you have a good structure and good players around, you can look even better; the adaptation was very quick, that’s why we chose to play him.
“Like I said, we chose the players that we feel are going to help us to execute the game plan and not the players that we like more,” added the Spanish coach.
