South Africa's Vieira: Legohonolo Maselesa on the African Champions League, his first Soweto derby, Turfloop and keeping his feet on the ground

South Africa's Vieira: Legohonolo Maselesa

Legohonolo Maselesa is not your ordinary 20-year-old. The former South African Under 17 captain is rapidly proving that as he settles in to the Orlando Pirates squad with uncommon calm.

Forced to replace Andile Jali early in the Buccaneers’ 3-0 win against Egyptian giants Zamalek last Saturday, his coach Roger de Sa said simply: “Maselesa looked like he’d been playing in the African Champions League all his life.”

Now Maselesa faces his first Soweto derby – the MTN8 semi-final against Kaizer Chiefs on Saturday is getting close to a sell-out – insisting he is ready for the 90,000 baying fans.

Perhaps better known as Vieira – after the former France World Cup winning midfielder Patrick – Maselesa explains: “I was playing for an academy in Joburg, Afrika Sports, when they started calling me Vieira. I was 12 at the time, back in 2004. Every since then, I’ve been Vieira.

“As a footballer you have to be prepared to come on at any moment. When Andile went down injured, I can’t really say I was nervous, there was the TP Mazembe game, that may have been harder than Zamalek!”

So is he living the dream following his move from Bidvest Wits last year? “I can’t really say that this is the dream, I still hope things get better from here! Obviously, as a young boy it IS a dream to play for Pirates, it doesn’t happen to everyone. For me to be here is an honour, a privilege.

“But I can’t say I’ve arrived, I still have to push myself.”

And playing for De Sa? “Roger for me, because I worked with him before at Wits, is everything in one. I’m not trying to say things that he’s not. But he can be that leader, put the foot down. But when it’s time to joke around he can do that too.

“He’s all in one, serious guy, funny guy, all in one.”

In a football world where coaches are fiercely protective of their young stars – Sir Alex Ferguson never let Ryan Giggs or David Beckham near a microphone until they were in their mid-20s – “Vieira” is able to give us a unique glimpse in to the pressures of breaking in to the professional ranks.

When I asked about the pressure, the problems of super-stardom, his answer was spot on.

“I come from a very humble background, it’s easy to keep my feet on the ground. I have people around me who criticise me a lot. They give me a call and give me a bit of stick for my performances!

“It’s never like I get good reviews. People might say I’m playing well but when I get home it’s a different story, the people who really matter and give me advice, never tell me I’m the finished article.

“To be honest I feel amazing. It’s not every child who gets to play for Pirates and for me that’s no pressure. Every day I learn different things, I learn and I play better.

“I’m from Turfloop near Polokwane – I don’t know who said I was from Alexandra. I’d like to believe most great footballers come from Limpopo! There is a huge amount of talent coming from the north.

“I’m not a physio, I can’t tell you if Andile Jali will be fit for Saturday. But this will be my first Soweto derby. If it happens, I’ll be willing to give my best and hopefully, to earn a good result. But anything can happen!

“My biggest crowd before this was 50,000 when we played Pirates in the Nedbank Cup final in 2011 and lost 3-1. This will be my biggest crowd ever.

So how will the huge gathering affect him? Can he shut it out or will it inspire? “I played then and only about 1,000 of the crowd were supporting Wits, this time about half of them will be supporting me, at the stadium and millions on the television. I can only get fired up you know!”

 BOLLOCKZ! my show on www.ballz.co.za, airs every Thursday from 10am-noon. The full interview is on video below.

You can also follow me on www.twitter.com/nealcol for all the latest sports news… and read my “Neal & Pray” column every Tuesday inwww.thenewage.co.za. 

BOLLOCKZ! is backed by www.topodds.com - have a look at their site for my latest sports betting advice!

Pirates 7, Egyptian giants 1: how Pirates - not Bafana or the Boks - led the celebrations for Madiba

Opening goal: Lennox Bacela

NELSON MANDELA’S 95th birthday celebrations were not led by Gordon Igesund or Heineke Meyer, despite rousing wins for Bafana Bafana and the Springboks at Soccer City on Saturday.

The highlight of Madiba’s “Sport and Culture” day came eight kilometres away while the musicians were still playing at the World Cup final venue.

The big celebrations were going on in Orlando, deep in the heart of Soweto, where Roger de Sa’s swashbuckling Pirates blew away African giants Zamalek SC 4-1 in perhaps their best display yet in the Champions League.

With Al Ahly – thumped 3-0 by the Buccaneers at Al Gouna a fortnight ago – edging the Congo’s AC Leopards 1-0 earlier in the day, Irvin Khoza’s club now lead Group A by three points at the halfway stage in qualifying.

By my reckoning, depending how the second half pans out, Pirates now need just THREE points from their last three games to make it. One win. Three draws. Boom. Even two might do.

For a side laid low last season as De Sa failed to retain the PSL for a third consecutive season after taking over from Augusto Palacios with the side in 10^th place, the African miracle, the quest for the second star, is rapidly becoming a real possibility.

Not since 1995 has a South African side looked this good on the continent. A combined score of 7-1 against the two Egyptian giants with 11 stars between them since 1982 is beyond the dreams of any South Africa football fan.

While Gordon’s Bafana saw off a tepid Burkina Faso 2-0 and Heineke’s Boks crushed Argentina 73-11, Roger’s Pirates were in all sorts of trouble when Zamalek instantly wiped out Lennox Bacela’s brilliant turn-and-fire opener.

But three well-worked second-half goals from the revolutionary Sifiso Myeni, the returning Tlou Segolela and  the reviving Dain Klate left Zamalek in tatters by the final whistle.

Roger, all smiles and clenched fists, emerged to say: “We could have done without conceding that equalising goal but what can I say? How can I ask for more than that from these players?

“We’re enjoying this purple patch in Africa. I know they’ll be ready for us when we return to Egypt but we travel well now. The boys are united, we are a team, we fight and fight.”

While Bafana can claim to have redeemed themselves (a little) after the abject 2-0 defeat against Nigeria last Wednesday in Durban with goals from Siphiwe Tshabalala and Lerato Chabangu (forget Nomandele’s last-gasp touch over the line), it was the Pirates who really lifted the nation on a rousing day for South African Sport.

Vieira: Lehlogonolo Masalesa

With Klate back to something like his best and Bacela proving an astute buy, it was Lehlogonolo Masalesa who really caught the eye.

The 21-year-old from Alexandria was thrown on when Andile Jali – struggling with an ankle before the game – was carried off on a stretcher with what look like a related groin injury early in the game.

But the man known as Vieira did more than hold his own between in the bristling band of midfield Pirates like Myeni, Oupa Manyisa and Klate.

He thrived, he grew, he ran and ran. On a night when heroes were made in Orlando, Masalesa was the flag-bearer, the bugle-blower. De Sa said: “He looked like he’d played in Africa all his life. What a performance.”

It’s wise at this point to remember just where the Egyptians are at the moment. Domestic football violence, the Arab Spring and, more recently, the Morsi coup has left their league suspended. Football doesn’t matter when a nation is burning.

Four-star Zamalek and seven-star defending African champions Al Ahly are currently struggling to keep match fit, their star players are eager to find a place in Europe.

And while Zamalek’s twitterers complained about the training ground next to Ellis Park on Friday, hundreds were dying in Cairo. Just turn on one of the 24 news channels. Now. It can’t be easy.

But Roger and his Pirates can’t be blamed for any of those factors. All they can do is beat what is put before them. And they have done that with some panache over the past fortnight.

The return trip to Zamalek is next, then Al Ahly come to Orlando hunting revenge before AC Leopards finish the group stages in the Congo Republic. I have no doubt a semi-final berth awaits, with similar obstacles to come before talk of a second star can commence around a glorious finale.

But for now, let’s celebrate. Bafana won. The Springboks cruised. Orlando Pirates were magnificent. All in honour of Madiba. That can’t be bad.

BOLLOCKZ! my show on www.ballz.co.za, airs every Thursday from 10am-noon.

You can also follow me on www.twitter.com/nealcol for all the latest sports news… and read my “Neal & Pray” column every Tuesday inwww.thenewage.co.za. 

BOLLOCKZ! is backed by www.topodds.com - have a look at their site for my latest sports betting advice!