A former Al Ahly talent has paid a heartfelt tribute to Pitso Mosimane, praising the South African tactician for the faith he showed him during their time together in Cairo.
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During his two-year stint at Cairo International Stadium, Mosimane carved out a legacy as one of the club’s most successful recent managers. When he took the reins at the Club of the Century, it had been seven years since they last lifted the CAF Champions League title.
Not only did he end that drought — defeating arch-rivals Zamalek in the 2020 final — but he followed it up with another continental triumph the following year, overcoming Kaizer Chiefs to win back-to-back titles.
While his impact on the institution is undeniable, Mosimane also left a lasting impression on the players he worked with — including Shady Radwan.
Before Mosimane’s arrival, the promising forward had only featured sporadically for the senior side. But Radwan has revealed that the Kagiso-born coach believed in his talent — even trusting him to play against major opponents like Pyramids FC.
“I played the match in Suez, and after that my coach told me that someone was gathering information about me. The next day I was surprised to find that I was ranked on the Guardian's World Ranking,” the 23-year-old told Al Mashhad.
He also shared insights into his earlier struggles under former coach Rene Weiler:
“Fayler wasn’t enthusiastic about young players, but Abdel Hafeez supported me and contributed to my promotion, along with teammates Mohamed Fakhry and Mohamed Shukry.
After a week of training with the first team, Weiler met with us, thanked us for our commitment, and told us that he would come to us if he needed us.”
However, it was under Mosimane that Radwan says he truly began to feel part of the first-team setup.
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“Mosimane treated me like his son, and I felt with him that playing in the Premier League was easier than playing in the youth sector.”
