Pitso Mosimane has always flirted with the possible return to national team coaching and has unmasked his admiration for the Super Eagles' star-studded team.
‘Jingles’, one of the most decorated coaches to hail from Africa, previously expressed his desire to take charge of continental heavyweights Nigeria.
A love affair might not have brewed from the chit-chat, but the attraction from both sides is undeniable.
Mosimane has now revealed that the feeling was, at some point, mutual from the Nigerian Football Federation.
Nigeria boasts of one of the most valuable squads on the African continent, with megastars Victor Osimhen of Napoli, Atlanta’s Ademola Lookman, and Bayer Leverkusen’s Victor Boniface – just to mention a few – are worth a combined total of £180 000 (about R 4.3 million) as estimated by Transfermarkt.
Unlike the high-flying and fellow Group C contenders Bafana Bafana, the Super Eagles’ 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers campaign is stagnant after an underwhelming start in the bid to return to the global spectacle after missing out the 2022 edition in Qatar.
READ: ‘It was very emotional for me’ – Bafana Bafana hero Thapelo Morena on his return to Siwelele home
“Super Eagles, what a team they have,” said Mosimane, whose face lit up with excitement when talking about the quality of the West Africans.
Mosimane is currently unemployed after parting ways with Saudi Arabia side Abha FC, who he could not fulfill his mission of saving The Leaders of the South from relegation in the Saudi Professional League.
However, it is not for a lack of suitors that the five-time DStv Premiership winner is not in the dugout as he is in high demand in the Gulf region and on the African continent.
“The calls were coming, the talks were there. Jay Jay Okocha was leading this thing and begging me,” said Mosimane on Metro FM’s Sports Night Amplified.
“There was never a deal on the table, it was just talks. This one calls and calls from the Federation. In football, the contract must be on the table and sign it. If that is not really happening, there is no deal,” he added.
"But when you have South Africa and Nigeria in the same group it is not nice because I am patriotic. I want to see my country in the World Cup, but also, work is work."
“You can never deny a chance to coach Osimhen and all those guys are top talent in the world. Nigeria struggles with the system and how they play.
Nigeria’s firepower of Lookman, Alex Iwobi, and the likes have only found the back of the net four times in the qualifiers, raising many eyebrows about the cohesion of the team.
Keeping a keen eye is Mosimane, who has dissected Nigeria’s gameplay and seems to have some tips for head coach Finidi George.
“When you have many of good players, it is nearly the same like Brazil, but where is the World Cup?
“When you have too much talent and the coach doesn’t even know who to play and who to play, the coach becomes impatient that the game is not looking good, then you make changes because you’ve got somebody else on the bench,” said Mosimane.
“When you have a settled team, like France, [you know] it is Kylian Mbappe who is going to play no matter what. Ousman Dembele can dribble everybody, but Mbappe is going to play. It is not a question mark.”
[WATCH] Former @Masandawana head coach & player @TheRealPitso talks about his return to Mamelodi through the @PMosimaneSS .
— Velile Mnyandu 🇿🇦 (@Velile_Mnyandu) June 9, 2024
🔹His dream to have his own school
🔹His connection with Mamelodi over the years.
🔹Focus on developing football in the townships. #Development pic.twitter.com/RH5OmqFNzr
Mosimane, meanwhile, is enjoying some time away from the pressures of the dugout and is knitting together the stars of the future at the Pitso Mosimane Soccer School.
‘Jingles’, in partnership with Curro Schools, has taken about 500 budding football enthusiasts under his wing, with the intent to shape them into fully-fledged superstars of tomorrow.
“We were in Mamelodi and it was unbelievable. I saw two players – will tell you the names one day – I can guarantee that these two players will play for Bafana,” said Mosimane.
“There are so many boys who are at schools who want to play football. We must understand that Orlando Pirates, Kaizer Chiefs and Sundowns can take as much as they want. But what about the other children? They must also play for good teams.
“We are not only about top talent, but that is going to come later – that is the vision. There are late developers. You see these boys scoring goals at Pirates like Relebohile Mofokeng but he has never played in development,” ‘Jingles’ concluded.
GUESS WHO’S BACK…?😎💪🏾#PMSS #PMFC #CreatingThePlayerofTomorrow pic.twitter.com/dB2Lm6H5hu
— Pitso Mosimane Soccer Schools (@PMosimaneSS) June 4, 2024
