Former Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder Andile Jali says Relebohile Mofokeng should consistently play football for 10 successive years to qualify being compared to Themba Zwane.
Zwane is regarded as the best playmaker of his generation and debatably the finest number 10 to ever come out of South Africa. But with the 36-year-old approaching the end of his career, a new midfield sensation has emerged in Orlando Pirates star Relebohile Mofokeng.
Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou converted Mofokeng from the wing into midfield for the playmaker role. The Moroccan coach has strongly argued that the 21-year-old is more efficient in midfield.
It is sentiments echoed by Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos, who also says Mofokeng is at his best when playing inside. Broos played him in that new role when Bafana faced Panama in back-to-back international friendlies during the just-ended FIFA break.
For some time, the Belgian coach has spoken about his search for Zwane’s long-term replacement. He found no joy after giving chances to the Buccaneers duo of Patrick Maswanganyi and Sipho Mbule.
But comparisons between Mofokeng and Zwane have been inevitable, and Jali has moved in to dismiss such talk
‘MOFOKENG SHOULD PLAY FOR 10 CONSECUTIVE YEARS, AND THEN WE CAN TALK’: JALI
“Shikabala [Zwane] has played his role and felt the pain. He realised he had to stand up and work. He was being loaned out, but he came back determined to prove himself,” Jali said on the Arena Sports Show. “Back then, no one knew about Themba Zwane. He was groomed at Sundowns, and now he is the player we see today.
“There is something I hate about South Africans: the constant comparisons. Where does it come from? People say one is better than the other, but we don’t play the same. Why compare them? If a person is in top form, leave it at that.
“We cannot compare Zwane to a young boy who has only played for one year. Let him play for 10 consecutive years, then we can talk. Let the boy play and enjoy his football. “He must play, let him play, enjoy because now this boy is not growing. There was a time after the MTN8 [final earlier this season] when he wasn’t playing well, and people complained he was affected by [Mohau] Nkota’s departure.
“But it’s not that. He needs to fix himself before people start talking.”
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