“At Pirates, there are two players who have had farewells, and I see Riveiro being the first coach to have a farewell, and who knows, maybe he will change his mind and want to stay.”
That is according to former Orlando Pirates assistant coach Teboho Moloi, who marvelled at Jose Riveiro, saying he will go down as the club’s greatest ever coach.
Recently, Pirates dropped a bombshell when they announced that Riveiro has asked not to renew his contract when it expires at the end of the season.
The Spanish Guitar, as Riveiro is fondly referred to by Pirates fans, has reignited the glory days at the club, turning Orlando Stadium into a slaughterhouse once again, with supporters filling the stadium week in and week out.
He has delivered five trophies in his three seasons and currently finds himself competing on three fronts — the Betway Premiership, CAF Champions League, and the Nedbank Cup — and could complete an unprecedented quadruple, having already won the MTN8.
Riveiro also guided the Buccaneers in breaking longstanding records and becoming the first team in the Premier Soccer League era to win the MTN8 title three times in a row.
Riveiro must be mentioned among legends
He will be aiming to do the same in the Nedbank Cup when they face Soweto rivals Kaizer Chiefs in the final in May.
Moloi, who won major trophies with Pirates during his playing days, said the outgoing Bucs coach should be mentioned under the same bracket as legendary Jomo Sono and his father, Percy “Chippa” Moloi.
“At Pirates, there are two players that have had farewells, and I see Riveiro being the first coach to have a farewell,” Moloi said.
“When my dad [Chippa Moloi] retired, he was given a farewell, and Jomo was also given one when he left to start Jomo Cosmos in 1986. Now we have a coach who’s unified everyone; every generation is happy about Riveiro.
“You’ll never know; after the best farewell ever, he might say: ‘Hey, I made a mistake; let me go back to where I belong.’
“So it’s very important that we support the team in all remaining games to make sure that we give him the best ever farewell.”
The Sea Robbers will be in Champions League action on Saturday against Egyptian side Pyramids FC in the first leg of their semifinal at FNB Stadium.
I would have loved to see Riveiro renewing his contract at Pirates, he has done a wonderful job uniting the Happy People .