Orlando Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has showered attacking midfielder Simphiwe Masilela with praise, labelling him one of the best young talents he has ever seen.
Masilela is beginning to live up to his promise as Pirates’ creative spark. Following his impressive cameo in the MTN8 final defeat to Mamelodi Sundowns on Saturday, the 22-year-old started against TS Galaxy on Tuesday and was a livewire throughout the game.
The attacking midfielder capped off an impressive performance by scoring his first goal for the Buccaneers in their emphatic 3-0 victory over TS Galaxy, prompting a bold assessment from his coach.
Ouaddou, who has extensive experience working with young players, having spent six or seven years in development in France at the Michel Platini Academy, believes Masilela possesses all the attributes required to excel at the highest level.
“I can tell you that he has all the attributes. He has all the potential, all the qualities to express himself at the highest level,” said Ouaddou.
“I have seen a lot, a lot of young players, and he was one of the best that I have seen.”
The Pirates coach explained that his responsibility is to guide young players towards understanding the demands of elite football, even when his methods may not always be well received.
“When I try to put these young players on the right path in the requirements of high-level football, and to leave certain things that are not going to help them on the side, some people are fighting the coach.
“But without any arrogance, with a lot of humility, I think we know what we are talking about and where we want to bring our players.”
Masilela’s recent performances suggest that he is beginning to understand what Ouaddou expects from him, with the coach pointing to the midfielder’s development and growing influence in Pirates’ attacking play.
“If you see this player from the start against Marumo, when he started to understand what the coach was expecting from him, he started actually these kinds of actions against Marumo in Rustenburg.
“After that, we saw him in the final, and now we are still seeing what he is able to do.”
For Ouaddou, Masilela’s qualities are exactly what he expects from a modern attacking midfielder, but the coach insists that the responsibility to fulfil his potential ultimately rests with the player.
“This is exactly what I am expecting from a number 10, a modern number 10. It is up to him. If he wants to continue on that path, he just has to continue like that.
“He knows what the requirements are, and if he wants to lose himself, he knows the other path.”
With Masilela beginning to make his mark in the Pirates first team, the challenge will be to maintain his momentum and establish himself as a consistent creative force for the Buccaneers.
Written by: Sandile Ndumo
