I knew there was something special about these boys: Pirates legend Moloi on Riveiro’s team

Not many would have seen Orlando Pirates doing as well as they have in this season's Caf Champions League, but Bucs legend and former assistant coach Teboho Moloi never doubted José Riveiro's team's potential.

While there was little doubt Mamelodi Sundowns, who have reached the competition's knockout rounds since winning the trophy in 2016 under Pitso Mosimane, would again make it to the business end of the competition, for Pirates there were never such lofty expectations.

Bucs last made it to the knockout stages of the Champions League in the 2018-2019 season and were the runners-up in the CAF Confederation Cup in 2015 and 2021-2022, which is why they're still ranked outside the top 10 clubs in Africa. Sundowns are now ranked second behind 12-time African champions Al Ahly of Egypt, the team the Brazilians are facing in the semifinals.

In the other semifinal, Pirates clash with another Egyptian club, Pyramids FC, who are ranked eighth behind (third to seventh), Esperance of Tunisia, Simba SC of Tanzania, RS Berkane of Morocco, Zamalek of Egypt and Wydad Athletic of Morocco.

USM Alger, who Pirates beat 1-0 on aggregate in the quarterfinals to set up a meeting with Pyramids, are ranked ninth. Their Algerian counterparts, CR Belouizdad — another club Pirates outplayed in this competition with a win away and a draw at home in the group stages — complete the top 10.

It was in this context Pirates were not given much chance, but as they line up to host Pyramids in Saturday's first leg at FNB Stadium, Moloi revealed he had never doubted Riveiro and the current crop of Bucs players.

“In the past, I've always said that this is a special group,” Moloi said of the team Riveiro has built since joining the club as an unknown in this country in 2022. The Spaniard will leave the club at the end of the current campaign and if he wins the Champions League, Nedbank Cup and Betway Premiership — the competitions for which Pirates are very much in contention — he would have won a record eight trophies with the Buccaneers.

“I emphasised that our players need to understand the meaning of the word 'special'. They're different from our double treble team [of 2010-11 and 2011-22], and the team that reached the final of the Champions League [the 1995 winners and 2013 runners-up] and the finals of the Confed Cup.”

“These are young boys who are still finding their feet, but they're bringing trophies. For me, that on its own shows their understanding of what it takes to wear the Pirates shirt and to be where they are.

“I'm actually not surprised. I expected them to perform the way they're performing this season. I've always alluded to not putting them under pressure but let them enjoy the fruits we left for them.”

Moloi revealed Pirates' achievements on the continent were long in the making, with chair Irvin Khoza asking the club as far back as 1993 to start taking Caf interclub competition seriously. Moloi, 56, had spent 10 years with Bucs as a player at the time, following in the footsteps of father and legendary Buccaneer father Percy “Chippa” Moloi.

“In 1993, the chair asked us, 'Go out and win me the Iwisa Spectacular, and after you win that, win the BP Top 8. Then, if you're still alive after those two trophies, this [the continental escapades of the 2024-25 generation] is what you'll see.'

“This is one generation; even after they lose, we see supporters singing. Where else have you seen Pirates dominating teams and, having lost, Bucs supporters singing? This is the first one. I always knew there was something special about these boys.”

Special they may be, as Moloi says, but questions remain whether they're good enough to go all the way and win the Champions League for the second time in the club's history.

“Yeah, I believe they can go all the way,” Moloi insisted. “Like I said, let's not put them under pressure by saying now we're in the semifinal and now you have to go to the final and bring the second star.

“Let them enjoy the fruits that we've left them, and let's all be happy. Let's all give our coach the best send-off that has ever been given in South Africa. At Pirates, there are two players who've had farewells.

Pirates has always been a team that promotes youngsters, and they have always had a coach who understands the integration of young players. In the 1980s, there was Killer Mkhwanazi, Mandla Sithole, Ace Khuse — before he left for Chiefs and Sundowns — and 'KK' Sono.

—  Teboho Moloi

“I see Riveiro being the first coach to have a farewell. When my dad retired from football, he was given a farewell. Jomo [Sono], when he left Pirates to start his Jomo Cosmos in 1986, was given a farewell game. Now we have a coach who has unified everybody from my generation, to the next generation of the double treble, to this generation.

“There's a lot of happiness and wherever Pirates play it's a full house, sold out. Already now, the league game [Soweto derby on May 3 against rivals Kaizer Chiefs], tickets that you buy in outlets are already sold out; you need to go online.”

Moloi is happy about the legacy Riveiro is leaving at Pirates, especially with a number of young players like Relebohile Mofokeng, Mohau Nkota and Mbekezeli Mbokazi, who have been promoted from the club's reserves to become regulars in the first team.

“It's not the first time Pirates has promoted youngsters. After the likes of Gift Leremi, before Relebohile and others currently, we tend to forget that there were Excellent Walaza, Senzo Meyiwa, Tshepiso Tshabalala and Lindokuhle Mkhwanazi.

“Pirates has always been a team that promotes youngsters, and they have always had a coach who understands the integration of young players. In the 1980s, there was Killer Mkhwanazi, Mandla Sithole, Ace Khuse — before he left for Chiefs and Sundowns — and 'KK' Sono.

“I don't see or foresee any problems with youngsters coming through, especially coming from a player who has won and played for the team. I don't think whoever is coming [to replace Riveiro] will start sidelining or disregarding the structures that have been there. Development players need to be part of the first team.”

The only bone of contention for Moloi regarding Pirates' run in the Champions League is that they were not given the right by the Confederation of African Football to host the first leg of the semifinal, despite their form in this year's competition, which has seen them winning eight of their last 12 matches.

“I'm very disappointed Caf has given us the first leg at home again. It seems like all the northern African clubs always get the second leg. But now that the stars are shining on us. I hope it can continue like they shone in 1995, where we played Asec Mimosas [of Ivory Coast] in the final, and the first leg [2-2] was at home and we beat them [1-0] away from home.

“But when we were in charge [when Moloi was head coach Roger de Sá's assistant in 2013], we played Al Ahly in Orlando [1-1] and went out to lose [2-0] in Egypt. With all the other South African teams that have lost in the finals of the Confed or Champions League, the first leg has always been in South Africa [CAF bases this on the rankings of the teams based and their records in interclub competitions].

“I've always wished that two South African teams could play in the Champions League final so that we send a message to North Africa that we do have stars and we do have football in the southern hemisphere. We cross our fingers that Sundowns go through along with Pirates so we have one of the finals here at home with the Caf president [Patrice Motsepe] being a South African.”