Precocious Orlando Pirates star Relebohile Mofokeng humbly revealed his eagerness to learn from the senior members of Hugo Broos' 23-man squad as Bafana Bafana head into two crucial World Cup qualifiers against Nigeria and Zimbabwe.
Widely regarded as a local prodigy while already gaining comparisons to South African footballing legends such as Mamelodi Sundowns captain Themba Zwane and Teko Modise – Mofokeng is determined to learn from those who have walked the journey he is about to embark on.
Mofokeng was named as part of Hugo Broos’ 23-man squad for two crucial 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers away to Nigeria in Uyo before hosting Zimbabwe on June 11 at the Free State Stadium.
“I will meet the best players in the world, so I will get some advice from amagrootman (the seniors) and hear how they can advise me.
“We will see how it goes but I will do my job when I get to the national team,” Mofokeng said.
Meanwhile, Broos sang the praises of the 19-year-old, commending him for his modesty shown during his first Bafana training session.
“He had respect for every player. Relebohile knows that he is young, and he needs to have respect for all those players who showed 10 times more than he can.
“He was fantastic [this past season] but he knows that he still has a long way to go. I see it with his attitude and I am very happy with that,” Broos said.
“I hope that he stays like that. The quality is there… nobody has to discuss that. Being humble that he is now with all the publicity around him.
“He has been told about the possibility of going to Europe or whatever, he is still the same Mofokeng of 10 months ago and I am very happy about that,” Broos added.
The teenager, who could potentially make his debut, recently underwent trials with Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers.
“Football is football, it is the same. Whether you play in the Premier League or in the Premier Soccer League, nothing changes.
“It is just that the facilities there are different from here but everything else is the same,” said Mofokeng, who lifted the lid on the possibility of sealing a blockbuster move to Europe.
“I don’t entertain those ideas of overseas teams monitoring me. I play wherever I am. If I am at Pirates, I focus on Pirates.
“If teams come and say they want me, then they will talk to the chairman. I don’t enter that space, all I have to do is play,” Mofokeng added.
'He's a nice guy,' - Hugo Broos after interactions with Relebohile Mofokeng as he urges him to stay grounded. pic.twitter.com/ecOJH3F7XO
— Mahlatse Mphahlele (@BraMahlatse) June 3, 2024
