Rele Mofokeng: Jomo Sono tells Broos where to play Orlando Pirates star

Orlando Pirates legend Jomo Sono has weighed in on the debate surrounding Rele Mofokeng’s playing position.

Bafana Bafana boss Hugo Broos has insisted the days of playing Mofokeng on the wings are over and he will now deploy him behind the main striker in the No.10 role.

That could come as soon as on Friday evening when South Africa host Panama in the first of two friendly matches against the Central American nation at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.

Sono, who dazzled fans with his skills on the ball, is in awe of Mofokeng and feels he is so good that he should not be locked into one position in attack.

Jomo Sono lauds Rele Mofokeng

“He’s a good player, to be honest,” Sono said on SoccerBeat. “He can play anywhere. Good players play anywhere. He can play anywhere up front.”

“I mean, you can see some of the goals he scores coming from the wing, you know, he’s class. He’s a class player,” added the former Bafana Bafana coach, popularly known as the Black Prince.

Sono’s assessment comes days after Teko Modisa, another ex-Pirates player, agreed with Broos that Mofokeng should be playing centrally and not wide.

Football legend Jomo Sono hails Relebohile Mofokeng as a special talent! ⭐️🔥

“He’s class," Sono said.🙌🏼🇿🇦⚽️#ForTheBettor #10BetBafana #AirMobile #AbsaFootballFridays pic.twitter.com/4MFSfaKZly

— SoccerBeat (@SoccerBeatZA) March 24, 2026

“I think one of the biggest factors contributing to the numbers that he has is the change of position. At times, when we used to say Rele is not a winger, people thought that we were hating – but he is not a winger, he is a 10,” Modise told SABC.

“Rele is not a type of player to isolate 1v1 and dribble past someone, but he is so clever, his IQ game is so clever. He needs to be on the ball all the time, and in that number 10 position and you look at how much he has contributed to the club.”

Broos was categorical about Rele’s position

Broos opened the debate last week when he told the 21-year-old to forget about playing on the wing under him.

“He’s not a winger, Rele is not a winger. I will see now if he can satisfy us in that position [No.10],” Broos said. “For me, he will not play anymore on the wings, because I don’t think he’s a winger. He doesn’t have the qualities to be a good winger. I think he has the qualities to be a good number 10.”

“Because there [No.10] with his intelligence, with his qualities, he can help the team a lot. It’s up to him now, I will give him the chance, and we will see what that brings,” Broos further said.

Mofokeng has since said he is open to whatever role he is told to play and it remains to be seen how he will be utilized, especially against Panama.