Orlando Pirates midfielder Fortune Makaringe has responded to concerns over his lack of game time following high expectations since joining the Buccaneers three years ago.
Makaringe joined Pirates in 2019 from Maritzburg United after leading The Team of Choice to their best-ever finish and inspiring them to the Nedbank Cup final.
MAKARINGE WAS AMONG THE REGULARS
In his first season with Pirates, Makaringe showed quality and was among the regular starters alongside Siphesihle Ndlovu.
However, the tide changed in his second season when he was restricted to a substitute role.
Makaringe’s dip in form did not go unnoticed and sadly came at the point when his Bafana-Bafana stock was rising.
But Makaringe insists he has grown as a player at Pirates but that he has just had to adjust to the philosophy of playing for a big club.
This Saturday, the attacking midfielder will be hoping to get an opportunity to show why he joined Pirates when they face Kaizer Chiefs in the Carling Black Label Cup at FNB Stadium.
“Football is football; when you move to the biggest club, you learn that things are not the same and expectations are different,” Makaringe told the media in Durban.
“When you are growing in your football, you come across things that affect you as a player, some can feel I am no longer the same as before, but the reality is now I am more mature.”
IT’S ABOUT WINNING TROPHIES
Makaringe added that in Soweto, the mentality is all about winning trophies, while in Umgungundlovu, it was all about saving their PSL status or finishing in the top eight.
“The way we play at Orlando Pirates, it is different from Maritzburg United; even expectations are no longer the same, meaning the pressure is not the same,” Makaringe said.
“Maybe the other side, we were playing to avoid relegation, but here we always want to win trophies, compete, and we can expect the same attitude.”
“The way we do things here is different; maybe I have improved a lot; I have played different positions at Pirates, while on that side, I only focused on one or two roles.”
