Hattrick-hero Zakhele Lepasa has declared that the current Orlando Pirates team is the best he has ever played in.
The Bafana Bafana striker struck thrice as Pirates beat Sekhukhune United to book a place in the semi-finals of the MTN8 on Saturday evening at Orlando Stadium in Soweto.
Bucs are the MTN8 defending champions after winning the 2023 edition last year by beating AmaZulu in the final in Durban.
“To be honest, this is probably the best team I’ve ever played with,” he told SuperSport TV. “I’m including everyone, even the ones who are not here yet who are injured. Our squad is just out of this world.
“I’m just lucky to be at the finishing end of every move. As I said, this is a good squad with a lot of competition. I’m just doing my best to work hard.”
LEPASA’S MESSAGE TO PIRATES CHAIRMAN
Lepasa is a Pirates academy graduate and has been in and around the senior team since 2018. However, he has yet to live up to his full potential.
He made just 13 appearances in all competitions last season, scoring one goal. Pirates loaned him out to SuperSport, where he scored two goals in 10 games across all competitions.
The Bafana star has thanked Buccaneers’ chairman Irvin Khoza for believing in him.
“I want to thank God for the opportunity, I also want to thank the chairman for believing in me,” he added.
“He’s the one who said you need to come back, we need you, you need to work harder. He knows what I’m capable of from playing in the development [side], how I used to score goals.
“He’s the one who expressed all this confidence in me. And the guys, the way that they welcomed me like I never left. So I’m very happy.”
Pirates started the season with a 1-0 loss to Stellenbosch FC away from home in the DStv Premiership. They then beat Royal AM 4-2, with Lepasa scoring a brace in that game.
Lepasa sounds confident that Pirates have what it takes to topple Mamelodi Sundowns, who have won the league for six successive seasons.
His comments are a boost for Pirates fans, who have been frustrated by the team’s failure to lift the DStv Premiership title in the last 11 years. The Buccaneers have not won the league title since 2012, but they are finally starting to look like a team capable of winning local football’s big prize again.
With Riveiro at the helm, Pirates fans have reason to be optimistic about the future. The team is playing some exciting football, and they have the potential to win the league title this season.
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