"You could tell that the boy had discipline and as much as he was playing with his peers, he was different,” he said.
Teboho Mokoena’s former youth coach, Pitso Mokoena of Harmony Sports Academy, believes the Bafana Bafana star still has the potential to secure a move abroad after reaching a significant international milestone.
Mokoena turns 50
The Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder earned his 50th cap during South Africa’s convincing 3–1 victory over Zambia at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Saturday. Reflecting on his progress, Mokoena’s mentor insisted the 27-year-old still has much more to achieve.
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“He still has a long way to go, he still needs to work hard and remain humble. He still needs to remain focused and everything will fall into place,” he said.
“I’m thinking the boy is still looking forward to going overseas. That’s everyone’s dream and I wish for the boy to go outside South Africa and see how far he can go.”
Mokoena first discovered the midfielder at a COPA Coca-Cola Schools tournament in the Free State, where the teenager’s leadership and maturity immediately stood out.
He would later recruit him into Harmony Academy, helping mould a player who went on to break through at SuperSport United before becoming a key figure for Sundowns and Bafana.
“I was sitting right behind their bench, he was their captain and I was impressed with the way he was applying himself as a youngster,” Mokoena recalled.
“For about eight minutes at half-time, their coach was only talking to Teboho and I thought there was something about this boy. I got interested in watching the whole tournament just to follow him.
“He was young and after the game, he still wanted to juggle the ball, but at some point, you could tell that the boy had discipline and as much as he was playing with his peers, he was different.”
’Always laughing’
The coach remembers Mokoena as a quiet, disciplined youngster who carried a clear ambition to turn professional and represent his country.
“The football he was playing at the Academy was straight forward, it’s what you see now and he was very quiet and not somebody that talked to much but he was always laughing,” he said.
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“You could start a training session without realising that he was not there and when there’s 15 minutes left, and you want to do something with Teboho, you find that he’s at his room and not because he’s disrespecting you but you find he was resting or doing his homework.”
