Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane hinted that his next contract could be his last as he wants to pursue what’s in his heart.
The former Caf Coach of the Year is currently negotiating a contract extension with the Brazilians.
Sundowns’ Telkom Knockout final victory against Maritzburg United on Saturday has given Mosimane more bargaining power. The trophy was the ninth title he has brought to the Brazilians in the seven years he has been at the helm since taking over from Johan Neeskens with the club on the verge of relegation in 2012-13.
Mosimane saved the club and transformed it into a force in Africa, winning the 2016 Champions League and becoming a key figure in continental football.
“I am 55. I want to go at 60,” Mosimane said.
“This is too stressful. I can’t be here having the stress all the time. It’s my last contract.
“I think that it must be worth it, as the last contract. I am here. I love Mamelodi Sundowns. The supporters love me, they want me to stay and I want to stay. The team has also approached me and said that ‘we want you to stay’.
“So, we love each other. It’s a matter of hugs and all that. But we haven’t reached an agreement, we were talking. There’s no rush, especially when we all want to be together. Of course I would love to sort it out as early as possible, so that if I am not here Sundowns can continue and also if I am not here, I must also continue with my heart.”
Sundowns’ trophy cabinet that was once gathering cobwebs is now bulging thanks to the work that Mosimane has done at the club. But he doesn’t want his coaching career to be judged solely on the number of trophies he has won, and there has been plenty of those from his days at SuperSport United and now at Sundowns.
Mosimane wants his legacy to be more meaningful than that, which is why he wants to add more value to South African football by following his heart.
“What’s in my heart is youth football,” Mosimane said. “I would like to do youth football because nobody does it. People talk about youth football, what we need to do but nobody does. What are you doing? Look at school’s football, is there a programme for schools? That’s where I want to go. That’s my other passion, that Sundowns have to respect also. I need to leave my legacy. My legacy is not about trophies.
“I need to build my own legacy, in terms of sustaining something so that my children can say that out father has left a legacy in youth football that can be sustained.
“I have seen Percy (Tau), Keagan Dolly and (Bongani) Zungu coming with bad habits. We need to have better players. We need five players in Serie A, five players in Ligue 1 and four players in the English Premier League. We need that. Where are South Africans? Where are our players in La Liga. We can’t be looking at winning the Telkom Knockout and then we are heroes.”