CT City’s winger who knows his story
Why have Cape Town City gone from a team that was winning cups, challenging for the league in the past two seasons, to one fighting for their lives this season? We speak to City’s midfielder Bradley Ralani about their struggles and how they aim to rescue
I use my skill to come out of tight situations Bradley Ralani Cape Town City midfielder
The same can’t be said of this campaign where they’ve not only been off key but also lost McCarthy as a coach
● Bradley Ralani is clear about what kind of football player he is — an attacking winger with mesmerising skills.
Such is his conviction about his skills that when clips emerged of him making mincemeat of Kaizer Chiefs players George Maluleka and Willard Katsande — in a game his team Cape Town City lost 3-0 — he wasn’t bothered about the backlash that ensued.
“To be totally honest with you, if you watched the clips between what I did and what [Fortune] Makaringe (of Orlando Pirates in their game against Mamelodi Sundowns) did, it’s two different things,” explained Ralani after the recent hullaballoo about showboating in SA football.
“I don’t showboat at all, I’ve never showboated in my entire professional career. I’d rather eliminate to create.
“If you look at the incident with George, I got the ball from a throw-in and he came pressing me. I had to do something to free myself.
“Even with Katsande I saw him rushing on my back, but I had to do something to escape from him. I wouldn’t call what I did showboating or whatever.
“For people to say Makaringe showboated or whatever, I think that’s for him to say why he did that. I have my own way of thinking on the field. I was not showboating.”
Ralani’s assertion is supported by the fact that he has provided six assists for his team despite their struggles in the Absa Premiership this season.
“I’ve never been in a situation where people or a coach question what I’m doing on the field because it’s not helping the team. What I do is to contribute to the team and I use my skill to come out of tight situations to help my team.”
It was those silky skills that helped Ralani start his professional career in Europe in 2009 rather than in the PSL after being spotted by scouts playing in the dusty streets of his hometown, Kimberley.
“Going to Sweden ... it all started in Kimberley when I was playing street soccer. Someone (Kagiso Matile, a development coach) saw me playing and he said I was too good,” Ralani remembers.
“He’s a local coach in Kimberley and he’s helped a lot of boys, and is the one who took Thato Mokete (current teammate at City) to SuperSport United as a 14 year-old.”
Ralani starred for Swedish clubs Helsingborg, IFK Hassleholm, Landskrona and Danish outfit Lyngby BK in Europe before a call came from former City coach Benni McCarthy in January 2018 for him to return.
“Out of the blue I got a call from Benni,” Ralani recalls, “I don’t know who told him that I want to come home. So he invited me to come over and have a few trials with the club.”
The opportunity of working with McCarthy, the only former Bafana Bafana player to win the Champions League in Europe, was one big factor that lured Ralani to his first appearance in the PSL.
“The moment he (McCarthy) called me I thought to myself this is the team I want to play for. And having Benni there was a cherry on top of it all. I really wanted to work with him. In my career he’s the second person who’s coached me who’s won the Champions League gold medal.”
While the arrival of Ralani at City coincided with their better form as the Citizens finished fifth in the 2017-18 season and fourth in the 2018-19 season, the same cannot be said of the current campaign where they’ve not only been off key but also lost McCarthy as a coach due to a poor run.
“We had some lapses here and there in the games and teams capitalised on that,” said Ralani of their current situation as City hover around the relegation zone.
“We really can’t be pointing fingers at it to say where the problem lies or who the problem lies with. All in all, we know where we have to fix it and look forward to better games before the season ends.”
Ralani believes City’s new coach Jan Olde Riekerink is slowly finding out what the PSL is all about. The Dutchman replaced McCarthy in November.
“The new coach is settling in well and we’re now confident we can push for a topeight finish in the league and maybe put in a decent effort to win the Nedbank Cup.”