Pitso Mosimane has cemented his spot in South African football's history books, but before his arrival at Mamelodi Sundowns, a few international coaches arrived at Chloorkop and often failed where the former Bafana Bafana mentor has succeeded.
Tired of reading? Click through the gallery above to see some of the international coaches who managed Downs before Mosimane, according to Transfermarkt!
Mosimane took over the reins at Masandawana in December 2012, in the wake of the star-studded outfit's somewhat shock defeat to Bloemfontein Celtic in the Telkom Knockout final, replacing the sacked Johan Neeskens, a former FC Barcelona assistant coach.
Upon announcing his appointment, Sundowns owner Patrice Motsepe relayed his confidence in Mosimane.
"I am excited to welcome Pitso to Mamelodi Sundowns and am confident that he will contribute to the success and growth of the club," Motsepe said in a statement.
Almost seven years after his arrival, Mosimane has fully repaid the billionaire's faith in him after clinching his eighth overall title with Mzansi's record top flight champions, becoming the first coach ever to win four Absa Premiership titles with a single club after his latest feat.
Pitso Mosimane since being appointed #Sundowns manager in 2??0??1??2??:
— Lorenz Köhler (@Lorenz_KO) May 11, 2019
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His eighth title in seven years at @Masandawana. Legend. pic.twitter.com/jOg5f6srQH
While detractors of Mosimane's success will claim the 54-year-old has been given extensive financial backing by billionaire businessman Motsepe, it should be noted that a number of big-name coaches from across the globe were also given the same support prior to Mosimane.
Hristo Stoichkov
The 1994 Ballon d'Or winner enjoyed an illustrious career as a player, most notably in spells with CSKA Sofia and FC Barcelona, where he announced himself as one of the world's most prolific strikers.
Stoichkov was a key component of Johan Cruyff's famous "Dream Team" that won four consecutive LaLiga titles and the UEFA Champions League.
The Bulgarian took over at Sundowns from Henri Michel in June 2009, but was unable to replicate his success as a player in his role as manager of Masandawana and called it quits less than a year after being appointed.
Ted Dumitru
The most successful foreign coach Downs had was undoubtedly the late Ted Dumitru.
The Romanian, who was manager of the club prior to the Motsepe era, enjoyed two successful spells with the club, winning back-to-back league titles with the club in 1997/98 and 1998/99, and finishing as runners-up to Al Ahly in the CAF Champions League in 2001.
Johan Neeskens
The Dutch legend enjoyed a trophy-laden career, most notably forming part of the Ajax Amsterdam team that won three consecutive European Cups in 1971, 1972 and 1973, before moving to Spanish giants Barcelona in 1974 to reunite with legendary coach Rinus Michels and Johan Cruyff.
Neeskens scored the opening goal in the 1974 World Cup final against West Germany, but endured successive heartbreak as the Netherlands finished as runners-up in the two successive World Cup finals.
Neeskens, who was Mosimane's predecessor at Sundowns, failed to win anything during his 18-month stint with the Brazilians.
Click through the gallery above to see more international coaches who managed Sundowns prior to Mosimane! Read: Barcelona Transfer Plans - 10 Players Who Could Leave Which of the former Sundowns international coaches do you consider to be the biggest flop, and which do you consider to be the best? Have your say in the comments section below.
