Youth football development expert Floyd Mogale has recalled how Orlando Pirates superstar Relebohile Mofokeng was turned down by Mamelodi Sundowns when he was 12, based on fears about his small physical frame at the time.
Mogale, a well-known figure in youth football, touched on how hasty judgments at junior level can easily cost clubs generational talents.
He remembers how Mofokeng was brought in from Sharpeville, located between the towns of Vanderbijlpark and Vereeniging in the Vaal area, to Sundowns for an assessment.
The Pirates and Bafana Bafana ace was given a quick look over before another coach took him to trials at the School of Excellence, where he would continue his development for five years.
Aged 17, Mofokeng’s breakthrough moment came during the Under-19 Pirates Cup, where Pirates scouts quickly moved to secure his signature to join the DStv Diski Challenge [DDC] team in 2022.
He trained with the first team under Jose Riveiro while still playing regularly in the DDC on weekends.
Mofokeng finally made his senior debut against Royal AM on the final day of the 2022/23 season and has since grown into one of the most exciting young talents in the country.
MAMELODI SUNDOWNS REGRET RUSHED DECISION
Mogale, who served as a Sundowns scout at the time, explained how the youngster first came onto their radar. “They [Sundowns scouts in the Vaal] told us about Rele [Relebohile Mofokeng]; he was in Sharpeville, and he was 12 years old,” recalled Mogale on the TimesLIVE podcast.
“We [as Sundowns] brought him in for the Sunday programme, and we were monitoring him. He was coming along alright, but he left immediately. I think the coaches did not understand him. Also, he was tiny; he was very tiny at that time
“He was a little bit tiny because we think a good player must be big. Augusto [Palacios] used to say ‘a player must be a gorilla’.
“You need to look at the parents to assess physical growth potential. With proper development and nutrition, the player will grow. But we are impatient. We look at them and say this one is too small, he won’t grow.
“You look at Lionel Messi, if Messi was born in South Africa, he would not be Messi today. We would have quickly said he must go. This is how we lost Rele at Sundowns.
“So they offloaded him there, and another coach took him to the School of Excellence for trials,”…added Mogale, who has had coaching stints in the PSL with Royal AM, Black Leopards, Chippa United, and Free State Stars.
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