Orlando Pirates’ crowd favourite and dribbling wizard Patrick “Tito” Maswanganyi will be bestowed with the Buccaneers’ much revered jersey number 10 that has been retired in honour of legendary star Jomo Sono.
The Tembisa-born midfielder has won the hearts of the Buccaneers due to his dribbling tricks. He will wear the famous number in this season’s Confederation of African Football (Caf) Champions League campaign.
Previous legends wore the jersey number
Pirates will open the competition when they face Disciples FC of Mauritius this weekend.
Steve Lekoelea was the last Pirates player to use jersey number 10. Other Pirates’ notable players to have donned the jersey are Basil “Kaapse Dans” Steenkamp, Zaire’s Djento Kambala and Vincent Sokhela in the 1990s.
The rules for all continental tournaments, according to Caf, allow for a maximum of 40 registered players. All sporting the numbers 1-40. With this in mind, the previously unused Pirates jersey numbers 10, 13 and 22 will once again make an on-field return. They will do this in this season’s instalment of Africa’s premier club competition.
The number 22 was also retired in honour of Lesley “Slow Poison” Manyathela, who was killed in car accident in 2003. Number 13 was to show respect for the departed Clifford “Tough” Moleko.
Notable differences to the playing jersey numbers
So, when the Buccaneers open their Champions League campaign this weekend, there will be some notable differences to the playing jersey numbers. Relative to what you will have been accustomed to in the BETWAY Premiership.
Reigning PSL Players Player of the Season, Maswanganyi currently dons the number 28 jersey in the league. He will wear number 10.
Meanwhile, Relebohile Mofokeng will exchange his number 38 for number 3 in this year’s competition.
Other jersey number changes will include the players who are usually numbered higher than 40 in the season roster. These players will don the numbers currently vacated by the unregistered squad players for this phase of the competition.
