Orlando Pirates starlet Mpho Padime has opened up about his showboating roots, explaining why he continues to display the flair-filled aspect of his game despite public warnings from his head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou.
‘Phopho’, as he is affectionately known within football circles, is currently in camp with the South African national Under-23 team, who were based at Clapham High School in Pretoria preparing for two international friendlies against Algeria.
The Raymond Mdaka-led side departed Gauteng for Bloemfontein on Wednesday morning ahead of their back-to-back clashes against the North African nation on Thursday, 1 October, and Sunday, 4 October at the Dr Petrus Molemela Stadium.
Padime played a pivotal role for Pirates as they clinched their maiden DStv Diski Challenge [DDC] title last season, finishing the campaign with 10 goals.
His stellar performances in the reserve league earned him promotion to the Pirates first team under Ouaddou. The talented winger has been utilised as an impact player for the Soweto giants, providing a much-needed creative spark in attack whenever called upon.
So far this campaign, Padime has featured in four matches across all competitions for the Buccaneers.
ORLANDO PIRATES COACH ABDESLAM OUADDOU NOT PLEASED WITH SHOWBOATING
Despite Padime’s promising rise, Pirates coach Ouaddou has made his zero-tolerance stance on showboating clear, having publicly slammed the act on multiple occasions.
The former Morocco international insists his mission in Soweto is to develop serious professional footballers, labeling showboating as a distraction.
“Now my big disappointment is the last 15 minutes, and it’s the first time I’m addressing this. If we want to be more ambitious, if we want to go forward, we have to stop this nonsense [showboating] and enjoy playing small passes,” said Ouaddou following their 2-1 win over Magesi FC in the Carling Knockout Cup quarter-final clash last season.
“I think if we want to do that, we have to go to the circus. I’m not here to go to the circus; I’m here to improve my players and go forward. We have to stop this nonsense because in the end, we conceded a goal, and the target was not to concede.”
Ouaddou reiterated his position earlier this month after the Buccaneers secured passage to the CAF Champions League second preliminary round with a 3-1 aggregate win over La Cure Waves at the Orlando Amstel Arena.
“I will not accept showboating in my team. If we want to win the Champions League and go far in the competition, we have to be serious and stop this thing of showboating because it does not help the team but the ego of whoever is doing it,” Ouaddou told the media.
“As a coach, all I want is goals, and nothing more. If the players want to showboat, they can do it, not with me here.”
MPHO PADIME WEIGHS IN ON HIS SHOWBOATING STYLE OF PLAY
Speaking to journalists at Clapham High School in Pretoria, Padime acknowledged his mentor’s stance but admitted that trickery on the ball is deeply embedded in his football upbringing.
“Well, I would like to change, but sometimes, things like that just happen naturally, you know. I grew up watching showboating most of the time. I didn’t grow up watching European football,” Padime explained.
“So, I grew up in Kasi [township], watching the boys dribbling. Even when I’m on the playing ground, showboating is not something that I do deliberately; it just happens because it’s within me.”
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