Former Mamelodi Sundowns star Manqoba Ngwenya has issued a bleak warning over Sipho Mbule, fearing that the highly-rated midfielder’s career faces a premature end amid a looming Orlando Pirates exit.
The 28-year-old is on his way out of Pirates after just one season at the club. As recently reported by FARPost, the Soweto giants have opted against triggering the option to extend Mbule’s one-year contract, which expires at the end of June.
That would make him a free agent and place him on the move after just one season with the Buccaneers. After a bright start to the 2025/26 season, the midfielder’s fortunes drastically dipped towards the end of the season.
The blistering start to the term saw Mbule making the Bafana Bafana 2025 AFCON squad, with coach Hugo Broos touting him as a replacement for the ageing Themba Zwane. But the former Mamelodi Sundowns star started struggling for game time and was not in the Pirates matchday squads in their last five games of the season.
He will not be at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America after also losing his national team spot.
SIPHO MBULE’S CAREER NEARING AN EARLY END? NGWENYA CAUTIONS
Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou had handed Mbule a lifeline in July 2025 by taking him on board after he was discarded by Sundowns. The Bethlehem-born star had spent the second half of the 2024/25 season on loan at Sekhukhune United before parting ways with Masandawana.
That makes Ngwenya worry that Mbule’s career could be on a downward spiral. Ngwenya draws from his own experiences during his playing days and fears that Mbule’s career could be cut short.
“Sipho Mbule is a quality player. So often people compare [career downfall] him to me as a player, and it’s disappointing,” Ngwenya said on Soccerbeat. “The sad part is that it seems in terms of his game time, playing football days are also being cut short like mine, which is very disappointing for a quality player like him to see him not featuring in the World Cup squad.
“What a talent he is. It really hurts to see that. Mbule must know that even up to today, my career, I still hurt so much when I think about what more I could have done for the country, what more I could have done for myself with the talent I had.”
SIPHO MBULE ‘NEEDS TO FIX HIS HEAD’
“So, if there is still a chance, and if this thing is up to him, he needs to fix his head and give himself an opportunity. The coaches clearly still believe in him because they are playing him—unlike in my day, when Gordon Igesund wouldn’t even give me a run,” Ngwenya went on.
“I think it’s just a mental thing; it’s all in his head. He just needs to tell himself, ‘Now let me give this my all.’ Football is a very short career, and he needs to give everything so that his talent can be fully seen.”
While Ngwenya fears for the player’s future, Mbule remains a highly sought-after commodity. As reported, FARPost understands that Siwelele have already registered their interest in the midfielder, earmarking him as a key target as they rebuild their squad ahead of the 2026/27 Betway Premiership season.
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