Priceless! Pitso Mosimane’s amazing Sundowns legacy

Pitso Mosimane celebrates after beating Zamalek in the final of the 2016 CAF Champions League in Alexandria, Egypt. Photo: Gavin Barker/BackpagePix

Pitso Mosimane celebrates after beating Zamalek in the final of the 2016 CAF Champions League in Alexandria, Egypt. Photo: Gavin Barker/BackpagePix

Published Feb 25, 2017

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JOHANNESBURG - Pitso Mosimane’s biggest accomplishment at Mamelodi Sundowns cannot be quantified in monetary terms or even by the number of trophies he has brought to Chloorkop.

Mosimane has changed the club’s outlook, making the Brazilians more than just Patrice Motsepe’s billions. Players are no longer driven just by making more money when they join Sundowns. They are attracted by the prospect of not only conquering the country but the continent, too.

That’s why Thapelo Morena chose the Brazilians over Kaizer Chiefs. He was driven by a desire to play at a higher level. He got that at the Fifa Club World Cup less than five months after joining Sundowns from Bloemfontein Celtic.

At the same time, Lucky Mohomi went from Free State Stars to being an African champion. Sibusiso Vilakazi could have got more money at Bidvest Wits - also bankrolled by a billionaire in Brian Joffe - but he wanted to be a champion and switched from Milpark to Chloorkop. Now he has a CAF Super Cup winners’ medal.

This winning culture also attracted the first Algerian to play in South Africa, Fares Hachi, while Anele Ngcongca also chose the Brazilians after an almost decade-long stay in Europe because of that culture.

This is an important mental switch. But anyone can offer you more money. Ramahlwe Mphahlele, after all, left the Brazilians for a better pay packet at Amakhosi.

Someone with deeper pockets than Motsepe and Joffe could come onto the football scene tomorrow. Clubs need to be able to set themselves apart from their rivals beyond just how much they can offer a player. Money is important, obviously, but that can’t be the only lure that defines a club.

Sundowns are at a stage where they are beyond Motsepe’s money because of the job Mosimane and his technical team have done, transforming a team of overpaid underachievers to a collective that can boast being among the best teams in the country’s football history. That shift in mindset can only benefit the club to reach greater heights.

Sundowns went almost a decade without a trophy. Motsepe searched for a saviour all over Europe. He tried Bulgaria’s Hristo Stoichkov, the Netherlands’ Johan Neeskens, Antonio Lopez Habas of Spain and Henri Michel of France, among others, with little success.

The Brazilians were second from bottom when Mosimane took over the club in 2012. Five years later they’ve won almost every cup on offer, including the three big - the Absa Premiership, the CAF Super Cup and the CAF Champions League.

Yes, the side Mosimane inherited didn’t lack quality; it was a talented group. But they needed to be pushed in the right direction.

His obsessive planning helped the club achieve that, which saw him named as the continent’s Coach of the Year last month.

What is refreshing is seeing the impact he has had on the players. It goes beyond them improving on the field. They have improved as analysts, too, thanks to the homework they do by analysing their game and that of their opponents.

Sundowns skipper Hlompho Kekana whispered the name of a player or team that Mosimane had forgotten during the post-match conference after the club had beaten the mighty TP Mazembe to win the Super Cup.

Mosimane said that all Sundowns need to do now is beat Mazembe in Lubumbashi as this victory was the club’s second at Loftus Versfeld over the five-time African champions.

The Brazilians will start their quest to retain the Champions League next month with a trip to Denis Onyango’s home country Uganda. It will be a tougher challenge than last year as they are no longer an unknown entity. They sent a strong message by beating Zamalek three times to lift the Champions League in Egypt. That success did a lot for South African football. Orlando Pirates also showed that dedication in 2013 and 2015, even though they lost both finals. Sundowns perfected it, ensuring that clubs who play on the continent raise their game.

All three SA clubs - Wits, SuperSport United and Platinum Stars - advanced to the next round of the Champions League and Confederation Cup. It wouldn’t be a big ask to have at least one team in the group stage of both competitions. It’s nice to see continental giants respect South Africa once again.

The Saturday Star

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