Lorenzo Gordinho
The former Kaizer Chiefs defender is now plying his trade in the Danish top-flight with Viborg after helping them to promotion last season.
Lorenzo Gordinho looked poised to become the next star at Kaizer Chiefs after flourishing in their development ranks. But the recent tumultuous period at the club resulted in him falling out of favour before he opted to join the now defunct Bidvest Wits. He suddenly found himself without a club after The Clever Boys’ shock status sale at the end of the 2019-20 season and thereafter came an opportunity to move to Europe with Viborg FF in Denmark. KICK OFF’s Lorenz Köhler caught up with the defender to find out how his journey has gone with the newly-promoted Superliga side. KICK OFF: You were at Bidvest Wits looking for first-team football and stability after leaving Kaizer Chiefs. What went through your mind when you were informed the club was sold? Lorenzo Gordinho:
It was difficult because I had just arrived at Wits. I got there in January 2020 and with the whole lockdown I only played three months of football for the club, and then it was sold. So, it was a bit difficult because I was thinking that I have this stability in my life for the duration of the contract and then it gets sold. But at the time I thought maybe it’s another opportunity to do something else and find another path in my career, and I was grateful that this opportunity [to join Viborg] came up in the midst of all the confusion in South Africa with the Wits being sold, players having to relocate, players not going [to Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila] and all of that. This opportunity came and I was very happy to take it.
You worked with Gavin Hunt at Wits during your brief stay. When you heard he was going to your former club Kaizer Chiefs, did you expect it to be a match made in heaven?
I really thought it was going to be a good move for him and the club. I don’t know ... maybe it was just easier said than done in practicality. Especially being a new coach at the club and also for the players who had a good season the previous year, but didn’t win the title. So it was a difficult follow-up season for a new coach to come into. The team did so well but didn’t end up having anything to show for it. I’m sure it was difficult [mentally] for everyone at the club.
Since you’ve experienced both Chiefs and Hunt – do you think there was a disconnect in terms of his tactics and what the players were used to?
I’m not sure, it’s a bit difficult to say. Every coach is going to change the way the team plays in some way, not all coaches will be the same. Maybe in terms of player profiles, coach Gavin wanted to bring in some other players to suit the profile. Obviously, Chiefs has quality players, so maybe it was more him trying his best to find a way for them to perform.
We watched you at 16 during your development days at Chiefs alongside
your brotherr, Annthony. How hard was it for you to leavve the club?
It was a deccisio n I had to make. I wasn’t happy not plaayingg regularly and I had a conversation wwithh Ernst Middendorp at the time. The oppportuunity at Wits came and yeah, we madde thhe deal. Obviously I had a good converssatio n with Bobby [Motaung] and he said mmy le aving will be beneficial for my career becaause I won’t be just sitting [on the benchh]. Soo that’s how the decision came about. LLookking back, if I didn’t leave Chiefs for Witss, I wwouldn’t have been able to come here to Dennmark because I wouldn’t have been in a sit uation where I was able to get out of mmy ccontract.
Whaat waas the link with your formmer tteammate Matthew Rusikee, because you said ‘thhankk- you’ to him on social mmediia after the deal went thhrouugh?
Mattheww has been abroad for a while doi ng part-time agent work, coonneecting a lot of players to clubs. He just obviously knows a lot about the situaation in South Africa. He knew whhat happenedh at Wits and he said he mightt have an opportunity for me. I said to hhim if he gets one then we can definitelyy take it seriously and look at it. He brouught it forward and my representativves PProSport got involved and the deal wennt through with Viborg.
A few weeeks aago your agent Mike Makaab connfirmmed that you’ll stay at Viborg after winnning promotion to the Superligga. WhatW have been the challenges yyou’ ve faced in the first few months, esppeci ally regarding firstteam footbaall? ot
When I firrst go here to Denmark the biggest chaallen ge was that I arrived when the seeasoon had already started. They were aabo ut three or four games in, which the tteamm had all won. Obviously
I came directly into training, into the 18man squad but to break into the starting XI was difficult because the team had momentum already. I had just got here and had to adapt to play the way they wanted me to play. That was the only difficult thing, but in terms to adapting to the lifestyle, adapting to the players, it was good. The club made it easy and so did the players. So, it was just being given the opportunity to play. What made it difficult too was that there was no reserve league or friendlies because of COVID-19 to keep fit. There were no opportunities to show myself other than official games and you know I wasn’t selected in the starting [line-up], so it was difficult.
You played at the latter end of last season, but now it’s back to trying to prove yourself in the top-flight. What do you see for yourself in the 2021/22 season?
I have to be a bit patient. I have regular conversations with the coach [Lars Friis] and he’s assured me that he has trust in me, but in this present moment the pairing he’s playing at centre-back have a good combination going. He’s told me openly that he’s going to stick with that partnership, but I should be ready because opportunities will come. Now that we’re in the Superliga, I hope to get a chance to show that I’m able to be a starter. I feel like last season in the First Division the standard was more or less the same as back home. Just a lot more direct play and tactics, but now in the Superliga I have a feeling it will be a lot different. You’re talking about a lot of clubs that have high-profile players. Obviously, there’s going to be teams of high quality and teams that are inbetween.
In comparison to traditional Danish defenders, you’re not as tall. Are they developing you as a right
HE KNEW WHAT HAPPENED AT WITS AND HE SAID HE MIGHT HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR ME.”
back or will you remain in your preferred position?
Still centre-back, I actually had this conversation with the club. They assured me that I’m here to be in that position. Yes, I’ve played right-back one or two games coming off the bench towards the end of last season, but now in the off-season they assured me it was just to help the team out in those one or two games.
From what you’ve seen at the club, what are the ambitions this season? Fight relegation or perhaps send a statement that they want to establish themselves in the top-flight?
I think this season the goal is to stay away from the relegation zone and cement the position in the top-flight, and then from there the plan will be to build the team into a top-five, top-six team. The immediate plan is just to avoid going back down.
Many South Africans who play abroad often say: ‘I’m not coming back home’. But let’s say, by January you maybe don’t have much game-time. Chiefs phone you ... what would you do?
If it’s an opportunity financially and the club is a good choice, I can’t say I’m not coming back because at the end of the day you have to look at it as a professional. You can’t look at it from an emotional point of view or say you don’t want to go home because you see it as a step backwards in your career. I feel like a lot of guys do [see it that way]. You can’t be like that because there’s a lot of players in South Africa that are struggling to find clubs. So, if you get an opportunity and things aren’t working at your current club, then you have to consider it. I’m not saying I wouldn’t come back, if it was a good opportunity.
How are you having been away from home for the first time during a pandemic?
I’m happy, I’m focused. My fiancé is here and my son, so my little family is here. So yeah, we’re good, we’re doing a lot of touristy things around Denm mark. So it’s been good, especially now that it’s summer. We’ve enjoy yed it, we’re happy and in a good d space at the moment. Going through winter here was different though, it’s always dark and cold. There were those days where we thought this was going to be difficult, but once we got through the initial stage and accepted that this is the weather, we can’t change it, we were much bet tter off.
Do you think that if you gget regular first-team football this seas son like Gift Links you should be consid dered for the Bafana Bafana squad aagain? Is that something on your mind, oor do you want to focus more on you ur club career now?
Definitely. If I’m playing reg gularly and my performances are good, I want to play in the national team set t-up. With the new coach [Hugo Broos] and d everything
“LAST SEASON IN THE FIRST DIVIS SION THE STANDARD WAS MORE OR LE ESS THE SAME AS BACK HOME.”
c oming in, if I’m doing well and I’m pplaying regularly, I would expect some c ommunication or something to say you c an have the opportunity to come. But I a lso read things that he said he’s looking foor a much younger set-up, so I’m not sure, bbut I would love the opportunity.
What have you noticed in Denmark th hat you feel is different from your developmentd and career in South Africa? A
The coaches here spend a lot of time withw the players in terms of the onfi eld stuff, and mental and emotional development.d They spend a lot of time makingm sure the player is happy all-round innstead of only one aspect of their life. WhetherW it’s helping them develop certain a spects of their game or changing how thhey think mentally, they spend time inndividually with players. The coaches are thhere planning sessions, meetings and a nalysis. Obviously now in South Africa it’s c oming up a lot more but if you’re talking a bout back then when I was coming up thhrough the academy, it was not like that. NowN it’s advancing, but if I look back and
I see the Under-19 team here, they get a lot more time with coaches. It’s not just coming in once a day and train, there’s a lot of extra work that goes on behind the scenes.
Going back to your time at Chiefs, your most fruitful spell was under Steve Komphela. What was it like working with him?
It was good, I enjoyed it a lot. He’s a very good coach, a good guy and a good leader. He was very professional, and he took time with the players to instil his philosophy at Chiefs. It was the same at Celtic when I went there on loan. He’s that guy you see in the media, he’s a very knowledgeable person, he likes to help you on the field and in life. You need to listen to him and take those aspects and apply it in your life. You will then realise that what he’s saying makes sense, but people seem to think he was just doing it for the media, which is not true. He’s just that type of person. It’s good, if you take the advice at the time he gives it to you, you will realise it makes sense. Footballers like to make jokes no matter what, but at the end of the day we knew he was very knowledgeable, where he comes from. It’s not him thumb-sucking. If anyone questioned him, he had knowledge to back it up! There was never anyone questioning him.
“I’M NOT SAYING I WOULDN’T COME BACK, IF IT WAS A GOOD OPPORTUNITY.”
Were you part of the dress-up day with the senior players like ‘Yeye’ and ‘Shabba’?
I remember the suits and stuff. It was only the senior guys; the change room is split with the seniors and the juniors. We actually didn’t know until we saw them taking pictures, we never saw that on the training ground. There was a lot of big characters in that team, [Itumeleng] Khune, Willard Katsande, Bernard Parker, [Siboniso] Gaxa, Morgan Gould and Tsepo Masilela. They left the youngster to be the clowns, they didn’t want to get too friendly with us [laughs].
What was it like playing alongside someone like Khune when you came up through the academy?
He’s the best. Good guy, down to earth, humble. He never really carried himself according to all his achievements, but just as a person. It was really nice as a youngster to see that and for his embrace to help us coming into the team. All the players from the academy looked to him for guidance.