FORMER Bafana Bafana defender Mbulelo “Old John” Mabizela, has no doubt that the country’s top player, Mbekezeli “TLB” Mbokazi, is ready to play in one of the European leagues after his first season playing in the Major League Soccer (MLS) of the United States of America (USA).
Mbekezeli (20) who was promoted to the big scheme of Orlando Pirates in the 2024/2025 season from its small DStv Diski Challenge team, came to tie himself up and it was seen in a short time, he turned into a support in the back wall of Zimnyama.
After a season in this Soweto team with which he won titles, he was signed by the USA team, Chicago Fire, at the end of January. Mbokazi, who is in the Bafana squad for the World Cup, is among the top scorers in this ongoing competition in the USA, Mexico and Canada.
“According to the level in which he plays, Major League Soccer where he plays regularly for his team, that is increasing him as a player. This makes me doubt that he is ready to play in the European league.
“This is the right time for him to go to Europe which has been approved by the years, which is what is needed for a player like him to grow up there, develop into a top player,” said Mabizela while speaking withSoccerbeat.
Mabizela was a top defender just like Mbokazi during his time at Pirates. He became its captain at a young age, and left it to join the English team, Tottenham Hotspur.
He believes that Mbokazi’s humility and behavior will be the key to his success in Europe.
“The most important thing in Europe is how you conduct yourself because it is what can make you succeed and bring you down. He is a humble boy who seems to know what he wants in football. So that could be the key to him and his hard work.
But in spite of that, he will need to be around people who will encourage him, teach him about the things he should avoid so that he doesn’t fall into the trap that other talented players like him have fallen into in the past,” Mabizela said.
Mabizela talks like this about Mbokazi who hails from Kwa Nibela, Hluhluwe, some observers and South African football experts consider his playing in the MLS as a training ground for him to cross over to the big European leagues.