Teko will retire a happy man – Pitso
Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane says veteran midfielder Teko Modise is set to go down as one of South Africa's greatest.
Pitso Mosimane, coach of Mamelodi Sundowns and Teko Modise of Mamelodi Sundowns during the Caf Champions League Mamelodi Sundowns media day at the Chloorkop. (Samuel Shivambu/Backpagepix)
The 34-year-old has revealed that he will leave the Chloorkop-based side at the end of the season, and will contemplate retirement in the next coming two seasons.
“We have to respect Teko, he has done exceptionally well at Sundowns, he has contributed so much and Sundowns has been so good to Teko also,” said Mosimane.
‘Jingles’ worked with ‘The General’ from their days at SuperSport United, which was a relationship that extended to the senior national team, until Sundowns, where the two have enjoyed a lot of success together.
“I am happy that if he retires, he can say ‘I’ve won international tournaments, I am happy that I contributed’. A prolific player like Teko, I think he has ticked all the boxes. He played in the Fifa World Cup with the national team, he played in the Africa Cup of Nations with Bafana Bafana.
“He played the Fifa Club World Cup, he played in the Caf Champions League and he won that … the Confederation Cup, what else has he not played in?”
In his illustrious career, Modise boasts of individual accolades such as the Cosafa Cup Player-of-the-Tournament in 2007, he was voted Mvela Golden League (now known as the National First Division) Player of the Season while playing for City Pillars in the 2005/06 campaign.
“Modise also won the Premier Soccer League Footballer-of-the-Year back-to-back between 2008 and 2009. His glittery trophy cabinet contains two Absa Premiership titles, the Nedbank cup, Telkom Knockout, and the grandest one of them all, the Caf Champions League, which was followed by the cherry on top with the Caf Super Cup.
“If a guy like that retires, he can look back and say Footballer-of-the-Year twice, and I am happy that and said that quality should come to the Premier Soccer League.
“When he came to the PSL I was at SuperSport United and look what we have achieved from Bafana and here at Sundowns. For me it has been a good relationship. I have given him game time but he is not young, three games in a row becomes a little bit of a problem,” said Mosimane.
Modise was handed the famous No.10 jersey by none other than the ‘Black Prince’ Jomo Sono on February 19, 2012, as sign that he recognised eir to his favorite number that he wore with pride.
