OPINION: Why Hugo Broos is right on Cassius Mailula and Europe
I don’t always agree with Hugo Broos on a lot of things. In fact, I often leave his press conferences a frustrated man.
But anyway, I gave some thought to his views on Cassius Mailula staying in South Africa for one more season.
Broos has warned that sending the Mamelodi Sundowns striker, Cassius Mailula to Europe “too soon” could be detrimental to his career.
The Sundowns development prodigy is enjoying a breakthrough season in the DStv Premiership and has an impressive tally in the CAF Champions League.
In six CAF games, he has scored five goals and provided one assist. In the domestic league, he has nine goals in 13 games. Sensational return!
And this is just seven months after he made his senior team debut for Sundowns in the PSL.
WHAT HUGO BROOS SAID
The 70-year-old Belgian coach, after including him in his 23-man squad that will do battle against Liberia in the AFCON qualifiers, told journalists that the in-form striker was not ready for Europe.
“But telling him now that he is ready to go Europe — I will advise him to stay one year more at Sundowns and play Champions League again.
“It will be good for his development [but] don’t underestimate going to Europe, certainly for a striker, because it is very difficult. He has the potential, but don’t take that decision too soon.
“It has only been seven months with a team like Sundowns, who are dominating every game. Let him earn some more experience at a high level at Sundowns, who are always in the Champions League.”
WHY I AGREE WITH BROOS
- The young forward, who hails from Ga-Molepo, is still new to first-team football. Changing teams at this stage may prove a bit tricky for him.
He still needs to establish himself and understand his own game and the dynamics of playing senior-team football.
Not that it can’t be done while in a European team, but doing it while in a new environment, new culture, different weather and new coach may be a bit of a tall order.
2. Getting to a new club basically means one needs to find their way into the team. Most likely, he will have to fight his way into the team unless it’s some small team in a small league overseas.
The big teams would want to ease him into their system before throwing him in. Mailula, who joined Mamelodi Sundowns in 2016 as a 15-year-old teenager, is used to playing.
His versatility, having previously played as a 10, has always been his trump card.
3. And getting to a new team where game time would be minimal may possibly impact him negatively – emotionally and psychologically.
THE COLLINS MBESUMA EXAMPLE
Collins Mbesuma, one of the hottest properties in African football at the time, had scored 35 goals for Kaizer Chiefs the previous season when he moved to Portsmouth.
With all his experience and goalscoring prowess, he got to Europe and flopped. For all the hype, he just made four sub appearances before being shipped out to Portuguese side Maritimo.
He eventually left two years later. This is football, and Hugo Broos is right. With strikers, it can be a bit tricky. If the Bafana debutant fails to make it, for whatever reason, that would crush him. The recovery is always another tall order.
Ethan Brooks is one player Broos himself took into the national team a bit too early and never really managed the transition.
The boy is where he is today because of a failure to manage his transition. Perhaps he’s also speaking from that experience as well.
RELATED STORY: Who is Cassius Mailula – the uknown Sundowns substitute?