Now he's at Orlando Pirates. Kaizer Chiefs and Sundowns once turned down Mbekezeli Mbokazi's transfer

The young talent of Orlando Pirates, Mbekezeli Mbokazi, might never have played for his current club if not for one event in his life in 2023.

Mbokazi first made a name for himself at the Engen Knockout Challenge when he joined the Langalibalele Academy team just before the start of the tournament. His team had a shortage of central defenders, so the coach had to bring in Mbekezeli.

The Academy coach was impressed by the young player's game within 15 minutes and suggested Kaizer Chiefs scouts take a look at him. However, surprisingly, the scouts were not interested in this player, the coach told FARPost in an interview.

• See also: The legendary footballer assessed the likelihood of Mofokeng's move to Europe

Besides Kaizer Chiefs, Mamelodi Sundowns were among the contenders for the footballer but postponed the transfer for a month, which became the club's key mistake. Golden Arrows could not sign the player because the youth team players did not receive financial support. AmaZulu had already made an offer for the defender, but while negotiations were ongoing, Orlando Pirates surged ahead and invited the player to join them without even a trial.

The 19-year-old Mbekezeli Mbokazi debuted for Orlando Pirates on March 5 in a match against Chippa United. Since then, the central defender has started in the first team's lineup four consecutive times and even scored one goal.

Mbokazi has already played for South Africa's U20 national team, and it is possible that he will soon debut for the country's senior team.