Former Kaizer Chiefs and Mamelodi Sundowns captain Ramahlwe Mphahlele has revealed that Orlando Pirates was the club he dreamed of playing for as a youngster.
The recently retired right-back enjoyed a distinguished PSL career, representing some of South Africa’s biggest clubs. However, despite becoming a captain at both Kaizer Chiefs and Mamelodi Sundowns, Mphahlele admits his childhood dream was to wear the famous Orlando Pirates colours.
Mphahlele reveals his Pirates dream
Mphahlele started his professional career at Moroka Swallows before making the move to Sundowns in 2011. He later joined Chiefs and established himself as an experienced figure in South African football.
But his childhood allegiance was with the Buccaneers.
The former defender explained that while many youngsters supported Chiefs, he was drawn to the Pirates teams of the era featuring players such as John “Old John” Tlale, Jimmy Tau and Mngomeni.
He said he always imagined himself one day playing for the Soweto giants.
Pirates tried to sign him
Interestingly, Mphahlele’s dream nearly became reality.
The former Pirates technical director Stanley “Bra Stan” Tshabalala reportedly made several attempts to bring the defender to Orlando Pirates in 2011.
Mphahlele recalled meeting Tshabalala at Exclusive Books in Hyde Park, where the Pirates chief told him he could see a promising partnership developing between him and Happy Jele.
However, Mphahlele was still contracted to Moroka Swallows, and his strong relationship with chairman Leon Prins complicated the situation.
The former player revealed that Prins had supported his family financially, including helping his mother build their home, making the decision to leave Swallows particularly difficult.
Sundowns eventually won the race
At the time, both Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns were interested in signing Mphahlele.
Pirates were pushing to complete a deal, but Sundowns ultimately reached an agreement with Swallows that included money and players as part of the transfer.
Mphahlele initially encountered problems finalizing his personal terms with Sundowns and even considered returning to Swallows.
However, the transfer was eventually completed.
That decision changed the course of his career. Mphahlele went on to become an important figure at Sundowns before later moving to Kaizer Chiefs, where he also captained the club.
Despite his success at both Chiefs and Sundowns, one question remains: what might Mphahlele’s career have looked like if he had finally fulfilled his childhood dream and joined Orlando Pirates?
