Orlando Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has shared his thoughts on defender Mbekezeli Mbokazi being one of the nominees for the 2025 CAF awards.
The 20-year-old centre-back was named as a contender in the Young Player of the Year category on Wednesday. He will be vying against Morocco stars Abdellah Ouazane of Ajax Amsterdam, Houssan Esaadak and Watford FC’s Othmane Maama, who all recently won the 2025 FIFA Under-20 World Cup.
Also making it in this class are Mbokazi’s Amajita teammate Tylon Smith, Daniel Bameyi of Nigeria and Sierra Leone’s Momoh Kamara, who is a teammate of Bongokuhle Hlongwane at Minnesota United in Major League Soccer.
Burkina Faso starlet Asharaf Tapsoba, Ivory Coast and Mainz forward Alynho Haidara, Noah Sadiki of DR Congo and Sunderland complete the nominees in the category.
Mbokazi finds himself facing an opportunity to be named as the best young player in Africa in a year he has been on a sensational rise. The defender from Hluhluwe, KwaZulu-Natal, has been sensationally progressing since making his professional debut in March 2025 before breaking into the Bafana Bafana setup.
His importance was underlined when South Africa coach Hugo Broos insisted on having him for the crucial 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Zimbabwe and Rwanda instead of the defender going to Chile for the Under-20 global tournament.
WHAT OUADDOU SAID ABOUT MBOKAZI’S NOMINATION
“It’s a fantastic gift [CAF nomination] for him, first of all. It proves that when we are working daily, we are professional, we are taking care of the lifestyle, the body and we are working hard,” said Ouaddou.
“I think it’s a fantastic gift for him and it’s a fantastic gift for the club as well. We don’t have to forget that he is representing Orlando Pirates. For me, as a former central defender, of course, I’m proud of him.
“The advice that I can give him is to keep on believing in his potential and to be very humble and to keep working. You know football is going quickly in two sides. You can go very high but you can go down quickly as well.
“So, respect football and football will respect you and that’s the advice I give to my players.”
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