Abdeslam Ouaddou reveals how he made Relebohile Mofokeng 'aware of which zone to abuse' as Orlando Pirates' scoring force

Orlando Pirates tactician Abdeslam Ouaddou has expressed his immense pride in the development of Relebohile Mofokeng, suggesting the young Bafana Bafana star is a talent that only graces the game once in a blue moon.

Following a series of masterclass performances, the Pirates mentor believes that Mofokeng is evolving into one of the most dangerous offensive threats in South African football.

President Yama 2K, as he is affectionately known by football fans, has doubled his goal tally for the 2025/26 season in just two matches. He now has 10 goals across all competitions, following a hat-trick before the international break and a brace against Golden Arrows on Tuesday evening.

"These kinds of players, you get players like that every 10 or 15 years," Ouaddou said as quoted by SABC Sports.

"So, he has talent, it is in his blood, he's still young, of course, we need to give him some instruction in order to be even more efficient.

"Especially in that area where there are lots of duels, it's crowded, so for us as coaches, the talent he has, technical quality he has, the intelligence he has, but sometimes when you have such quality like that, sometimes you abuse these qualities."

Ouaddou further explained that while Mofokeng possesses natural flair, the coaching staff's primary responsibility is to channel that energy into the right areas of the pitch.

The goal is to maximize his impact by ensuring he uses his high football IQ to outmanoeuvre opponents without over-complicating play in risky zones.

The coach elaborated: "Our job is just to make him aware which zone he can abuse, but there are some strategic areas in the pitch where he needs to limit his touches and to use his cleverness,” he continued.

“It's what he's been doing since a lot of games, you can see that he's able to give assists to his teammates, he's able to score. He's mobile, very mobile in the middle. I used to say that this kind of player, it's a shame for me if I put him on the side with the touchline, with 180 degrees of capacity to play, because these kinds of players need 360 degrees of possibilities to play.”

While there has been much debate about where the player performs best, the Moroccan mentor shared his view.

“So, some people feel that he cannot play as a 10, I think he can play anywhere, not defender," explained the coach.

During the Man of the Match interview, Rele revealed the role he prefers on the field.

“I think the style we play here at Pirates, a 10 is suitable for me. I’m not really someone who likes running. I’m someone who prefers tiny spaces,” Mofokeng said on SuperSport TV.  

“So, I think the number 10 position is fine for me. Even on the wing I like to play, but the best for me is the 10 position.”