Orlando Pirates great Benedict ‘Tso’ Vilakazi has opened up about a private chat he had with Sipho Mbule, saying he felt compelled to protect one of South Africa’s rarest footballing talents.
Mbule joined the Buccaneers this season as a free agent after leaving Mamelodi Sundowns, where questions around his discipline overshadowed his ability.
His loan spell at Sekhukhune United also ended prematurely, but the 27-year-old has now been given a fresh start at Orlando Pirates.
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“I’m one person who likes nice thing,” the Soweto-born great said. “You know when I see a player that is good, he is always going to be close to my heart because I love good players.
“I had an opportunity to talk to him. I spoke to him, tried to encourage him, to make sure that he tries to not think about off-the-field things and try to focus on his career because he’s one of the players that is so special.
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“It’s so difficult to find a player like him and when you’ve got it, as a nation we need to try and protect that talent because it takes us years to get players like Mbule, like [Relebohile] Mofokeng and Tito [Patrick Maswnganyi].
“I spoke to him and I’m so happy to see him displaying his skills in that midfield,” Vilakazi added.
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