History was made in South African football when Orlando Pirates midfielder, Simphiwe “Ben 10” Selepe, became the first South African to win the DStv Diski Challenge (DDC) and Betway Premiership titles in the same season.
Selepe (20) was selected as the outstanding player in the Betway Premiership wrap-up match which Pirates won 2-0 against Orbit College FC on Saturday at Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit.
It has been a long time since Selepe appeared in the first team of Pirates since he came to the fore last season under Jose Riveiro where he played eight games.
His outstanding performance led to him being included in the national team, Bafana Bafana led by coach Hugo Broos.
An injury was reported which the Pirates did not explain much about, it was his disappearance until he stood out in the last game of the Pirates in the DDC where they needed to win against Mamelodi Sundowns to become champions. This player helped Pirates win the DDC league for the first time in history.
As he always promised the Pirates coach, Abdeslam Ouaddou, that such an opportunity would come, Selepe made a splash in Nelspruit, making history in South African football by becoming the first player to win the DDC league and Premiership in the same season.
There were tears in his eyes when he spoke to the media on Saturday.
“The creator organizes his things, so I am very happy because I have played once in the whole season as I am about to be selected as the best player in my second and last team match,” said Selepe.
“I am crying with joy and I don’t know what I can thank for those who are in charge of my life. Ouaddou’s words helped me, he freed me to play to the best of my ability and he told me that he understands that my confidence is low.
“The good thing about Pirates is that they give each other the opportunity to grow and there are many proofs of this. I am one of those proofs myself.”