Abdeslam Ouaddou urged Orlando Pirates teenager Mpho Padime to play with freedom after handing the highly rated academy graduate his senior debut in the Buccaneers’ 3-0 win over Sekhukhune United.
The 18-year-old came on in the 82nd minute of Saturday’s MTN8 semi-final second leg, with Pirates already two goals ahead on the night. Padime made an immediate impression with his confidence in possession and was involved in the move that produced the closing goal.
Some supporters have already compared Padime with Relebohile Mofokeng, another promising player to emerge from the Orlando Pirates academy. Ouaddou, however, was focused on ensuring his latest young player enjoyed the occasion rather than placing additional pressure on him.
“I will be honest with you, I am someone who wants efficiency, I want goals and clean sheets,” the Pirates coach said after the MTN8 semi-final second leg.
“But in the same time, like I just said to my boy, I said ‘come here, my boy it’s 2-0, just enjoy your football. I don’t have nothing else to say, just enjoy your football’.
“And sometimes you need to give this freedom to these boys, even I will be honest with you, climbing on the ball, stuff like that, when it’s 0-0 or draw, I don’t like.
“But when we are three goals or four goals, I have to integrate myself in the culture of the country and sometimes to leave them the freedom.”
Ouaddou said his usual priority is to maintain defensive control and demand efficiency from his team, particularly when a match remains finely balanced. But with Orlando Pirates in a commanding position, he believed Padime could be trusted to express himself.
The result secured Pirates’ place in the MTN8 final for the fifth successive season, extending their notable record in the competition.
The Buccaneers completed a 4-0 aggregate victory over Sekhukhune United after also establishing a two-goal advantage in the second leg before Padime’s introduction. His appearance marked the latest step in the development of a player regarded as one of the leading prospects within the club’s academy.
Orlando Pirates will now wait to discover their opponents in the final. The other semi-final is between Mamelodi Sundowns and Golden Arrows, with the winner set to face the Buccaneers.
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