Former Orlando Pirates midfielder Patrick ‘Tito’ Maswanganyi has revealed why he first wanted to leave the Bucs early in José Riveiro’s final season, nearly two years before his move to Bahrain.
A fan favourite at his peak for Pirates, Maswanganyi eventually left the club in August after starting the 2026/27 campaign.
The 28-year-old joined Al Khaldiya SC, a Bahraini side based in Northern Riffa, two months ago. He says he had already told Pirates he wanted to move on a few games into the 2024/25 season, Riveiro’s last in charge.
Speaking virtually to South African Football Journalists’ Association [SAFJA] members on Monday night, Tito said he and the club had agreed he could leave if an opportunity came up. He says Al Khaldiya were the only club to come in for him and that their offer arrived after the season had already started.
“I was happy and playing well,” Maswanganyi shared in a SAFJA interview. “I’ve already told them I wanted to leave and if an opportunity comes, I was going to leave. And we had an agreement about that. So that’s why when it came, I requested to leave the club.”
Pirates confirmed the transfer on 24 August, saying Maswanganyi had remained an important part of the technical team’s plans for the season. The club said it agreed to let him go after discussions with the player and his representatives made clear that he wanted to pursue an opportunity abroad.
MASWANGANYI EXPLAINS DECISION TO LEAVE ORLANDO PIRATES
Maswanganyi said he wanted to regain his confidence and find some peace. He explained that his family took the criticism he received harder than he did, to the point where they encouraged him to quit football.
“My family was suffering from the comments that I was getting from the media,” he said. “They would see those kinds of things, and they wanted me to quit football.”
The former SuperSport United midfielder said he tried to explain to his family that criticism came with playing professional football. As the comments continued, he felt moving away from South Africa would give them some relief. He also dismissed the suggestion that money drove the move.
“I wanted to leave because I wanted to be at peace and for my family to make peace,” he said.
Pirates signed Maswanganyi from SuperSport United in June 2023. He went on to score 28 goals and provide 21 assists in 120 appearances for the Soweto giants. He left as a league champion after contributing a goal and an assist in his first four matches of the 2026/27 season.
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