Tito ain’t no Mshishi!

Ever since Bafana Bafana head coach, Hugo Broos, alluded to Orlando Pirates creative midfielder, Patrick Maswanganyi being a future possible replacement for Mamelodi Sundowns top-performer, Themba Zwane, in his team, the social media streets have been abuzz with comparisons between the two players. Every Tom, Dick and Harry has had an opinion, with most questioning the coach’s wisdom as they believe the two players are worlds apart.

The Belgian mentor sang praises of the Pirates star but was quick to lament his inconsistency. This was on the back of an impressive performances by the 26-year-old attacker since joining the Houghton-based club at the beginning of the season. From the 23 league matches played by Bucs, Tito was voted the Man of the Match six times, making him the player with the most such accolades so far this season. That speaks to the impact he’s had so far this season for coach Jose Riveiro’s team. People are already making comparison between the two players with an overwhelming feeling that the Bucs star is nothing compared to his Brazilian counterpart. Maswanganyi is not Themba Zwane, so let’s quickly get that out of the way. These are two players that both have a role to play in the national team at the same time. They can both contribute immensely to our style of play and ensure that we maintain our football identity because they are typical South African footballers. They are both fantastic to watch especially in the final third, creating and scoring goals for their respective teams. They are both skillful and blessed with an ability to create spaces and play in the pockets. They are good at playing between the lines and getting their teams to tick, which is never easy. You also have to consider the simple but seemingly not obvious fact that Tito is in his first full season, his second season in the elite league, at Pirates while Mshishi has been around the block for more than a decade. The two players are at the opposite end of the spectrum in their respective careers, with Mshishi at 34 while his Tembisa homeboy and friend is 26. The age difference and PSL experience says it all, and therefore more of a reason the two can’t be compared. The Bafana Bafana experience or lack thereof is also telling.

Sundowns are now managing Zwane’s mileage because of his age, to make sure that they can squeeze out every little ounce of quality still in his body. Whereas, on the other hand, you have Maswanganyi finding his feet in the big league having not enjoyed much game-time at his former side, SuperSport United. That we only started seeing this talented footballer about a year ago at Matsatsantsa a Pitori before Bucs snatched him is an indictment to South African football. This is his first real season and he’s showing glimpses of what he can achieve and produce. How do you then compare the two, considering their different circumstances? The coach was clear when he said a possible future replacement, which means he didn’t look at Tito as an immediate replacement for Mshishi. That being said, we should not be comparing the two players at any stage because they both have so much to offer South African football without any undue pressure put on their shoulders. They have been good servants of the Beautiful Game and all we need to do is to celebrate and enjoy their game, not cause unnecessary comparison between them. This myopic thinking is really destroying our football and putting unnecessary pressure on our players. Only those who are strong enough with emotional and psychological support around them will be able to handle it, the rest will fall by the wayside, and we wonder why!

We’ve seen this movie before, where we are quick to label players and compare them to former greats, instead of celebrating them for what they dish out on the field, only for them not to go the distance. There are a number of examples of such unfortunate stories and this has to stop. Maswanganyi’s is a typical South African football story because, just like Teko Modise and Reneilwe Letsholonyane – to mention just two – he finally broke into the senior ranks later in his career. These players were, for whatever reasons, only discovered at a very late age and started playing professional football in their late 20s rather than their teens. We don’t celebrate and acknowledge Modise and Letsholonyane enough for what they managed to achieve in football in such a short space of time, looking at how much of an impact they’ve had in just over a decade of their professional careers. Those are two of the few that managed to make the most of their opportunities in the field of play and grabbed them with both hands. If you compare their consistency to most younger players, it is chalk and cheese. Compare their longevity, success, trophies won, lifestyle on and off the field and the impact they’ve had at all the clubs they’ve played for, you will realise that they deserve a lot more credit than we are giving them. However, that is a story for another day.

The point here is, Maswanganyi is just starting out and there is absolutely no way he can be compared to Zwane, who has seen and done it all. He needs to be allowed to do his thing, enjoy his football without any unwarranted pressure. Allow him to be the best version of himself without being boxed into a ‘Zwane replacement’. There is still so much football left for Tito to play but his light should not be deemed by high and unreasonable expectations. To think that there was even comparison between Monnapule Saleng and the legendary Jomo Sono, as if that was not enough of an insult, it was even worse to hear the legend being drawn into the debate and entraining it. We’ve had a similar situation with people comparing Mshishi to the great Doctor Khumalo, which was always unfair on the current footballer because you just can’t compare players from different generations.

Playing professional sport is a high-pressure zone already. There is no need for unnecessary pressure to be added on these guys. Let’s allow them to play football and make a name for themselves, just as those who played before them did. The reality is that Zwane will have to be replaced at Bafana and that plan has to start now, not when he is 36. That is why his minutes are being managed at his club because there has to be a succession plan in place. This is nothing new but to compare Tito to Mshishi is absurd and plain tavern talk, with all due respect! There was nothing wrong from what coach Broos said and we can’t accuse him of starting this ridiculous comparison because he spoke about a possibility. He has to give everyone a chance, Maswanganyi included, to raise their hand as a perfect replacement for Mshishi. For people to compare the two is unfair because one is an established footballer who is nearing the end of his career while the other is just starting out. Maybe this is an unwitting way of appreciating Maswanganyi’s potential from those who are behind the comparison. Interestingly, some of the people comparing the two players once thought Mshishi wasn’t Bafana material but look at him now! He’s done so well for Bafana because he was given a chance to play and was allowed to be himself and the results are there for everyone to see. Why can’t we do the same to Maswanganyi and other players? That will not only benefit their respective clubs but South African football at large. At the end of the day, when it is all said and done, Tito ain’t no Mshishi!