JOHANNESBURG – Orlando Pirates midfielder Augustine Mahlonoko is looking to follow in the footsteps of Lyle Foster as one of the top young prospects of 2018.
Foster, 18, left Pirates this year and is now playing for Monaco in the French top-flight.
Now for the second successive year Pirates have a youngster listed in The Guardian’s annual list.
The UK-based publication, has run an article titled: Next Generation – 60 of the Best Young Talents in the World which features the 17-year-old.
The Vaal-born midfielder has been listed alongside other prospects such as Rodrygo from Santos. Rodrygo is considered by many as the new Neymar with the 17-year-old already agreeing to join Spanish giants Real Madrid when he turns 18.
Augustine Mahlonoko of Orlando Pirates during the Multichoice Discki Challenge 2018/19 match against AmaZulu. Photo: Muzi Ntombela/BackpagePix
Mahlonoko, who already plays for the first team and boasts the record of being the youngest-ever player to don the Pirates jersey having played in Pirates’ 1-1 draw against Highlands Park at only 16 years and 352 days, says it’s an honour to be named alongside the players like Rodrygo.
“It is wonderful to be mentioned among some of the best young talents in the world, but this doesn’t mean that the work is done.
“This only tells me that I have potential to achieve big things in my footballing career, but I need to put in the hard work because without hard work nothing can be achieved,” said Mahlonoko.
Other players who have previously been listed on the Guardian Top-60 and have gone on to impress on the global scene include Gianluigi Donnarumma (2016), Martin Odegaard (2015), Timothy Fosu-Mensah (2015) and Christian Pulisic. (2017).