Maswanganyi told to change one thing about him to be the best

Published on by Joel Oliver, updated on

The Bucs attacker has been advised to fix his temperament by a club legend

Orlando Pirates legend Andries Sebola has advised star midfielder Patrick Maswanganyi to work on his temperament if he wants to succeed at the club.

Maswanganyi has been one of Pirates’ standout performers in the last two seasons and has started 2024-25 brilliantly following his good display in the 3-1 victory over SuperSport United in the MTN8 quarter-final last weekend.

The attacker, however, made headlines for other wrong reasons after he got into a heated argument with SuperSport players, and even elbowed Matsatsantsa midfielder Gape Moralo, and Sebola feels such incidents will prevent him from turning into a Pirates great if he doesn’t cut them off from his game.

Junior Khanye urges Chiefs youngster to learn from Pirates' Patrick Maswanganyi
Mpumalanga, Mbombela – General View action during the 2024 Nedbank Cup Final between Mamelodi Sundowns v Orlando Pirates on 1 June 2024 at Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit, Mpumalanga Province Photo by Thabang Lepule/Orlando Pirates Football Club

Is Maswanganyi turning into a Pirates bad boy?

“He must control his words and attitude,” Sebola, a former Pirates striker, told FARPost.

“Exchanging words with the assistant coach [Andre Arendse] of the opponents and hitting the opponent [Gape Moralo] with an elbow, that was a red card if the referee saw it.

“If he wants to be a big player for Pirates, he has to control his attitude and emotions because he’s not a big player for Pirates yet. He hasn’t arrived there but otherwise, he’s a good player.”

Maswanganyi opens up on early days at Orlando Pirates
Patrick Maswanganyi – Photo by Orlando Pirates

Tembisa-born ace has been brilliant for the Bucs

Maswanganyi has been a revelation for Pirates since he moved from SuperSport two years ago, scoring 10 goals while providing 12 assists in his first season, before chipping in nine and three assists last term.

It earned him three awards at the end of 2023-24 when he was named Premiership Players’ Player of the Season, Premiership Midfielder of the Season and Nedbank Cup Player of the Tournament.

He was also called up to the Bafana Bafana squad for the World Cup qualifiers against Nigeria and Zimbabwe although he was an unused substitute in both matches.

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Joel Oliver

Joel Oliver is a seasoned multimedia sports journalist with a rich background in covering diverse football stories and events in South Africa and beyond.
His extensive coverage spans subjects touching on the PSL, with a focus on the Big Three (Orlando Pirates, Kaizer Chiefs & Mamelodi Sundowns), Bafana Bafana and Banyana Banyana.