Orlando Pirates legend Jerry Sikhosana has offered some sage advice to Relebohile Mofokeng following the youngster’s recent Bafana Bafana call-up.
On the back of his string of consistent displays for the Buccaneers, the 19-year-old earned recognition from Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos.
Mofokeng was named as part of the Bafana Bafana 36-man preliminary squad for the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Nigeria and Zimbabwe in June.
However, the squad is still going to be trimmed down to 23 players soon.
Sikhosana, a former Buccaneer himself, has cautioned Mofokeng against getting big-headed due to immense credit from the public, a pitfall that has derailed many promising careers before.
SIKHOSANA CAUTIONS RELEBOHILE MOFOKENG NOT TO GET BIG-HEADED
“Let’s give him credit, I always say to the boys that go to bigger clubs, it’s how you conduct yourself,” said Sikhosana.
“If you’re playing for Pirates, [Kazier] Chiefs or [Mamelodi] Sundowns, and you start getting big-headed because you think you’re doing better, I think this is something that’s destroying a lot of players.
“But Mofokeng, the way he’s conducting himself, you know, [Patrick] Maswanganyi, I don’t know going forward, but we still want to see them playing the way we’re playing now [after retiring].
“I’m 50 years old, but when I come to the people, they say, ‘No, you still look like a 35 or 38-year-old’, but this is what we want to show to the youngsters.”
Sikhosana has also urged Mofokeng to utilise the opportunity to learn from a national team environment should he make the cut in the final squad.
‘FOR HIM, NATIONAL TEAM, IS ALL ABOUT LEARNING FOR NOW’
“To me, for him to be in the national team, I hope it’s something to pave the way for him to move forward,” added Sikhosana. “Sometimes, you get a better player at club level, and then you put him in the national team; that’s where he gets destroyed.
“That’s where he gets too much attention because we’re talking about a nation, not just a club. So, for him, going to the national is all about going to learn.
“If the team is doing well, give him the last 10 or 15 minutes just to build the confidence. For him to be there, they mustn’t put him in the deep end.
“It’s just to monitor him and see how he conducts himself when he’s in a group of professional players that have been there for a long time.”
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