There’s no doubt that Patrick Maswanganyi has become a fan favourite at Orlando Pirates since joining the Soweto giants from SuperSport United, but the shy playmaker, better known as Tito, claims his “life is still the same”.
Well, life may really change for Maswanganyi if he can help the Buccaneers beat Mamelodi Sundowns in the MTN8 final in Durban on Saturday. The final will be the third in a row for Bucs but a first for the 25-year-old Maswanganyi — a footballer whose full expression of his talent may not have been given full blessing at his previous club SuperSport.
“It feels amazing, especially playing for Orlando Pirates in my first final and I think we’re going to do well as a team and make sure we make our fans happy, especially coming from all the games we lost (four). I think we’ll bounce back as we have an opportunity to do that in a cup final,” said Maswanganyi this week.
At Pirates, Maswanganyi is working with a Spanish coach, Jose Riveiro, who seems to appreciate his playmaking role, which was not the case at SuperSport where coach Gavin Hunt is known for preferring a quick attacking game with not too many touches on the ball by an individual.
The system used by SuperSport drowned Maswanganyi’s talent in such a way that not many people knew his name or his full set of skills when he joined Pirates at the start of the 2023-2024 campaign.
Hunt deployed Maswanganyi more as a left winger whose main task was to deliver quick crosses for the strikers without much elaboration on the ball. The stats for the lone season Maswanganyi played under Hunt are underwhelming and it begs the question as to what prompted Pirates to sign him.
Let’s allow players like Maswanganyi to be what they want to be. If you go back into history, you’ll find players like the late Scara Ngobese, Ace Ntsoelengoe, Teenage Dladla ... the list is endless.
— Coach and football analyst
Farook Khan
In 22 league matches Maswanganyi played for SuperSport, he provided just four assists and did not score. Maswanganyi’s start at Pirates, by his own admission, is a promising one. In 10 matches in all competitions under Riveiro, he has scored two goals and provided five assists.
“It means I must work a lot harder to improve and to be the best I can be because there’s a lot of people who believe in me. I can’t disappoint them; I need to work hard,” Maswanganyi says of his start at Pirates where he’s in awe of some of the stars he’s now playing alongside.
“It feels amazing for me that I’m able to learn a lot from them because they’ve been here, and they know what it’s like to be here,” he says of rubbing shoulders with players like Thembinkosi Lorch, Miguel Timm and Fortune Makaringe.
“They’ve played in big matches and I’m just starting now, and I speak to them almost every day and try to ask them for help. I’m very grateful I have people like them that I can speak to when I have problems.”
But Maswanganyi seems surprised when journalists ask him about his new status as a Bucs player and how his life has changed.
“I wouldn’t say there’s pressure at all,” says Maswanganyi when asked about being a fan favourite as people start noticing his ball-playing skills.
“I think it’s me being myself, trying to make sure that I do well for the team playing well, playing the football that I know. I’m very happy that sometimes I’m able to assist and make sure that we get results.”
Was Maswanganyi surprised by his move to Pirates?
“Definitely,” he says.
“It’s something that I didn’t know. I was called in at the last minute. I would say I was very, very happy and now that I’m here I’m also enjoying myself here. I haven’t done much to help the team, but I think slowly but surely, I’m getting there. I’m trying to improve and work on my weaknesses with the help of my teammates and the coaches.
“My life, I would say it’s still the same. But I’m grateful that I have an opportunity to showcase my talent. With the coaches’ help I’m also learning a lot of stuff. I wouldn’t say my life has changed but I’m the same person I was years back. But I’m very happy.”
One mistake Maswanganyi is not happy about is the one that led to Sundowns scoring the sole goal and winner in a DStv Premiership match between the two sides a fortnight ago.
“I think that’s one of the mistakes we should avoid,” said Maswanganyi of losing the ball near the danger area.
“We shouldn’t focus on the opponent, but we should work on our side to improve on what we did last time. I think it’s a learning curve for me not to do some other stuff (holding to the ball too much), but I have learnt the hard way. Now I have another opportunity to play against them in the final. I think it’s going to be a great final for everyone.”
Coach and football analyst Farook Khan, who worked with Maswanganyi at his Stars of Africa academy in Johannesburg before the player was signed by a Portuguese club Oliveirense in 2019, says players like Maswanganyi must be encouraged to express their talent.
“The way Pirates and SuperSport play is vastly different,” says Khan.
“At Pirates he’s got more quality around him than he had at SuperSport. But we must compliment coach Riveiro for allowing this boy to express himself.
“I get very irritated when I hear people say he is overdoing things. An African child is entitled to play the way he plays. Too much of our talent is killed because we expect them to be simplistic and play one touch football.
“What’s puzzling is that when Messi or Ronaldo does what Maswanganyi does with the ball we all stand up and clap our hands. Why we have these double standards in our football, I don’t know.
“Let’s allow players like Maswanganyi to be what they want to be. If you go back into history, you’ll find players like the late Scara Ngobese, Ace Ntsoelengoe, Teenage Dladla ... the list is endless.
“Scara Ngobese, who we used quite well with Ted Dumitru when we won the league at (Kaizer) Chiefs (2004-2005), was one such player. We allowed Scara to express himself. Scara played his best football under Dumitru.
“What they do is not showboating. Their skill is used to confuse the opposition. This (Maswanganyi) is an extraordinary player and has been key to Pirates since the season started. I think we need to encourage these players. They are the ones putting bums on seats because they entertain people. It’s not fair to criticise them for their skills.”
Come Saturday the Pirates fans will be hoping the skills of Maswanganyi will help them beat Sundowns, ending a streak of four losses that is threatening to derail their season.
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