Former Orlando Pirates star Oupa Manyisa has opened up about the valuable lessons he learned during his time at the Buccaneers.
Manyisa joined Pirates at the tender age of 20 in the 2008/09 season. But he left the club after nine successful seasons in the 2016/17 campaign, following his switch to rivals Mamelodi Sundowns.
Manyisa’s departure from Bucs came as a surprise, as he was a key player and senior member of the squad at the time.
Whilst at Pirates, the midfielder nicknamed ‘Ace’ played 224 matches in all competitions, scored 24 goals and provided 17 assists. The talented midfielder was part of the Soweto giants team that won several trophies. All-in-all, he won five titles in Pirates colours. These are two league titles, two MTN8 titles and one Telkom Knockout [now called Carling Knockout].
OUPA MANYISA SAYS HE HAD TO LEARN TO BE A LEADER ON AND OFF THE PITCH
Manyisa was captain of Pirates from 2014 to 2017 before he left to join Sundowns. Therefore, he says he had to adapt to the big role of a leader of the team on and off the pitch.
He further admitted that it was difficult to take on this role, but with the help of teammates, it was easier than expected.
“If I have to be honest, when I was at Pirates I was playing good football,” Manyisa told FARPost. “Pirates is a big club, a big brand, it was great playing there.
“I had to step up and take that role of being a leader [captain]; it was difficult. But I had great players that were playing alongside me and they guided me in many ways.
“I can mention the likes of [Andile] Jali, [Lucky] Lekgwathi and the late Senzo Meyiwa.
“Being a captain is difficult; there is so much more to it. It’s not only on the field; you have to play a role off the pitch as well.
“What I can say is you have to be an example to the other guys. There are young players that are still coming up, we cannot be bad role models.”
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