Ex-Pirates midfielder reacts to younger brother’s Bafana debut
Former Orlando Pirates midfielder Meshack Maphangule described his younger brother, Rodney’s, Bafana Bafana debut as a proud moment, sharing advice he gave him.
The Polokwane City FC player Rodney Maphangule came in for Percy Tau in the last few minutes of Bafana’s 2-0 win against Lesotho at the New Peter Mokaba Stadium in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers on Friday night.
Maphangule, who turned 27 on Thursday, was initially not part of the final 23-man squad. He was included by coach Hugo Broos after the withdrawal of Bucs star Patrick Maswanganyi.
His older brother, Meshack, says his young brother deserves all the recent achievements and also shared his excitement the moment he got onto the pitch.
OLDER BROTHER MESHACK SHARES PROUD MOMENTS AFTER HIS YOUNG BROTHER MADE BAFANA BAFANA DEBUT
“I am very proud of him as his brother. He has done well for himself, and I think he is on the right track to achieve great things,” Maphangule told FARPost.
“I was really excited when he got onto that pitch. But my excitement didn’t just start on Friday but from the day that he was included in the preliminary squad.
“I encouraged him to keep pushing even if he didn’t make the final squad. He missed out before, but I am very proud now that he was finally in the actual squad and also played,” he added.
WHERE FORMER ORLANDO PIRATES PLAYER FEELS RODNEY MAPHANGULE HAS IMPROVED
The former Black Leopards, Chippa United and Marumo Gallants player has also shared some insights on where he advised his young brother to improve.
“He has improved a lot, but there is also room for more improvement, especially in the position that he plays in [midfield]. I have told him before what he needs to work on, especially ball distribution,” he said.
“I have told him to also utilise long balls, not only short passes because he is good at that. He has improved a lot in terms of marking. At first, he was not as tough as he is now in terms of marking but he has made a huge improvement.”
“What I always advise him is to respect the game and to also respect himself, knowing that everything comes through hard work. Talent alone is not enough; it needs a lot of hard work. That’s what I always tell him a lot before we even talk about how he plays. I always tell him that he needs to listen more to the coaches.”
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