An Orlando Pirates new signing has spoken on how he was discouraged about coming to Mzansi before he knew that he would end up playing for the club.
Patrick Maswanganyi is one of the players signed by the Buccaneers so far in preparation for the 2023/24 season along with Katlego Otladisa, Melusi Buthelezi and Siphelo Baloni.
Read – Motale: Bafana Coach Shouldn't Be Resting
The 25-year-old attacker had impressed during the one season he had with SuperSport United, having previously plied his trade in Portugal and is a product of the renowned Stars of Africa academy.
During the pre-season camp that is ongoing in Spain for Bucs, Maswanganyi has been one of the top performers and is raising a hand for the club's head coach Jose Riveiro and his technical team to take note of his readiness for the upcoming campaign.
"Besides the lack of resources that I mentioned earlier, there have not been many challenges. When I moved to play in Portugal in 2019, I had to adapt to their ways of doing things. At first the language question was a huge stumbling block and thereafter I had to quickly learn their style of playing. This coupled with the fact that I am a very quiet guy made it even more difficult for me to adjust," Maswanganyi said, speaking through the club's official website.
Read: Pirates Decision Pending For Duo
"Since I have returned to the country things have been much easier and my experience in Portugal has taught me a lot. I learnt to open up more, to interact with my teammates because communication is an integral part of what unifies a team. Actually, what has really been my struggle ever since I started playing football is my difficulty to communicate but it is something that I am dealing with and I am getting better," he said.
"When I came back to South Africa I had a lot of doubt in myself because I had hoped to play in Europe a bit longer. You know, it is every young footballer's dream to play in Europe. But I had to come back and perhaps that was the source of the self-doubt I was experiencing. I was really afraid. I even went to tell my grandmother that I am thinking of quitting because I thought I was not capable of playing good football anymore. But when I started playing in the Premier League things started to change, I realised that I still do have football. From there I kept a positive attitude and started working extremely hard in training," he added.
"Another thing is that it was out of my imagination that I would be playing for Orlando Pirates this season. I did not know that the team wanted me and that I was going to go play for it. I was really shocked but also proud of myself. I am happy that I am with Orlando Pirates and I am motivated to work even harder than before. I understand that opportunities such as this one are hard to get but very easy to lose. I intend on giving it my best such that even if I fail I know that I have given it my all. My focus now is on improving and learning," said the talented player.
