Former Orlando Pirates star Lebohang ‘Cheeseboy’ Mokoena has revealed the extraordinary lengths he went to in order to convince the club’s technical team to sign Bafana Bafana international Oswin Appollis.
Appollis is one of the brightest talents in South African football, and Pirates fans don’t even need stats to prove it. The Sea Robbers’ new superstar has added three goals and five assists in 19 outings, but the numbers barely tell the story of his class.
His confidence, his vision, and his ability to slip teammates through tight channels have made him one of the most influential attackers in the league.
His signing prior to the start of the 2025/26 season was seen as a statement move from Pirates. After all, Kaizer Chiefs, Mamelodi Sundowns and Tunisian giants Esperance were all circling, a chase confirmed by his agent Lance Davids. Yet the Buccaneers got their man, and according to one Bucs legend, ‘Cheeseboy’ Mokoena that didn’t happen by accident.
LEBOHANG MOKOENA’S ROLE IN OSWIN APPOLLIS’ SIGNING
Former Pirates winger Mokoena has now revealed he personally pushed the club to bring Appollis to Mayfair, believing that the 24-year-old’s style was tailor-made for the Black-and-White jersey.
“I called it, I knew he was going to be perfect for Pirates,” Mokoena said on the Soccer Beat Podcast. “When these rumours were going around, you know how Kaizer Chiefs and Kaizer Sundowns all wanted him. But I felt like, because of the type of player that it is, as dynamic as he is, I felt like he would fit in perfectly at Orlando Pirates.
“I had been calling, I called and begged the technical team at Pirates, I said: ‘hey this guy, make sure this guy lands at Pirates’.
“And look what he has done, since he’s arrived. I mean, he fitted in just like a glove, of course, in the beginning, you know, first two games was really playing out wide, he was not really expressing themselves, but it happens, you know, as a player when you get to a new club, but a great signing for Orlando Pirates.
“Best signing the club has made. Week in, week out, he delivers, and he plays any position; he can be on the left, 10, or on the right. So he’s also become a key figure of the team,” Mokoena added.
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