Mamelodi Sundowns head coach, Rulani Mokwena, is nothing short of an inspiration and someone to look up to for any aspiring youth out there. Whether you are a coach, footballer, boxer or even non-athlete, there is something you can learn from the young but decorated manager in his young coaching career. This man has made such a huge impact not only at Sundowns but in South African football at large, in a relatively short space of time.
This is someone who has been in the game for a long time for someone his age, being in charge and playing an active role in making a difference at every club that he’s been at. And this is someone revered by the football fraternity at large. Love or loathe him, for whatever reason, Rhulani will always evoke an emotion from someone because he is so astute that whatever he touches seems to turn to gold. He took over the reins at the Brazilians over a year ago and has overseen 50 games with 35 wins, 14 draws and one loss in the domestic league. The two penalty shoot-out losses to Orlando Pirates (MTN8 final) and TS Galaxy (Carling Knockout) count as draws. That is a remarkable progress report by any means because it means he’s done better than any Sundowns coach and surely ranks among the best to ever do it, especially at these big clubs.
This is something that cannot be over-emphasised, congratulated or celebrated enough. At only 36, Mokwena has done more and set records that even senior citizens in the coaching fraternity are yet to achieve. Some of them will quit or retire from the game without coming close to the impact this young genius has had in the Beautiful Game! That’s just how big his impact has been in the football space. Since coach Pitso Mosimane left the country, one can safely say that Mokwena has taken over because, whether it is post-match interviews, pre-match interviews, press conferences, media days, you name it, there will always be some quotable quotes from the young technocrat. He’s been doing well and going about his business, focused on the job at hand without worrying much about what is happening or being said outside. This is a man who, as young as he is, has showed and proved to have broad shoulders, a big heart and a strong mind.
