Orlando Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has spoken out on the impact of Oswin Appollis since the talented winger’s arrival on a long-term deal in the off-season.
Appollis scored the solitary goal that earned the Soweto giants maximum points against Siwelele FC in the Betway Premiership on Tuesday night at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein.
The 24-year-old came on as a second-half substitute to grab the winning goal in the last ten minutes of the match after the clash looked to have been heading for a stalemate.
Appollis has been instrumental for Pirates since joining the club from Polokwane City FC ahead of the 2025/26 season. The Sea Robbers beat rivals Kaizer Chiefs, Mamelodi Sundowns, and other clubs on the continent for the signature of Appollis.
After arriving as a marquee signing at Pirates, Appollis has scored three goals and provided four assists across all competitions in 11 appearances. The skilful attacker has already won silverware with Pirates after lifting the 2025 MTN8 following a 3-1 win over Stellenbosch FC in the final at Mbombela Stadium a few weeks ago.
‘HE’S A SPECIAL PLAYER,’ SAYS OUADDOU ABOUT APPOLLIS
With the former Pretoria Callies star proving to be the best player for Pirates so far, Ouaddou has praised the club’s scouting team for bringing a player of Appollis’ calibre.
“It’s very important to have good management [skills] when you have such good players, especially when you play many competitions,” Ouaddou said.
“So we had a plan to start Appollis on the bench because we wanted to rest him. He has played all the games, it’s not easy for me as a coach because you always want to play all your best players.
“At the same time, you have to think about the injuries, and we don’t want injuries because we have a long season. When we arrived in Bloemfontein, we had already planned for him to come from the bench.
“He is a special player, it means that the scouting department of Orlando Pirates did well, they know exactly the kind of players they want for the club and the identity of the club.”
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