According to reports, the Orlando Pirates coach earns a mouth-watering R650,000 per month.
The 47-year-old Spanish tactician, Jose Riveiro, has won three MTN8 Cups in a row with the Soweto outfit and is currently on course to challenge for the title.
Orlando Pirates are currently the PSL’s lone leaders, clearing Mamelodi Sundowns by three points and Kaizer Chiefs, who lie in ninth, by nine points.
They’ve won their first five league games this season – the last time they accomplished such a feat was during their 2002/03 winning campaign.
Riveiro at the helm
The Buccaneers are loving life under Riveiro, who now, albeit finishing second in 2023/24, finally looks like a team capable of dethroning the Brazilians.
“I think the team is getting mature, we show and the players show, this season they are really enjoying playing and that makes everything much easier,” Riveiro reported to Independent Media.
“So far they are really focused in each and every game, you never hear them talking about Champions League the next month, or the big games we’re going to play. It’s always about the next opponent when you hear the players in the locker room and [training].
“They are always talking about what’s coming or what we did the day before. It makes you feel that they are getting more mature as a group and they know what it takes to achieve what we want to achieve in the end, which is always the next… that makes me feel confident and very optimistic about this group.”
Trouble with the armband?
Having not started, or even featured in Pirates latest games, Innocent Maela’s armband duties are uncertain – something that Riveiro will want to avoid from bubbling over.
“I have been questioned a lot with people saying that what kind of captain who doesn’t play and who doesn’t get the opportunity to be in the field, how is he leading the team,” Maela told Pirates TV.
“People said I am only a captain for interviews, I only do press conferences, etc., but they don’t understand the kind of person I am. First, I need to clarify this. Since I started playing, I have always seen myself as a leader of this team, a leader of the group.
“So now, the only difference is that my teammates have voted for me to wear an arm belt. But how I lead myself and the group has always been the same because I always preach that we must put the team first regardless,” explained the experienced defender.
“I always understand what the coach wants from us as players and how the coach selects his starting eleven. However, yes, as a player you always want to be on the field, but I think I have grown, and I’m experienced enough to understand that if Deon Hotto wins, I win, if I win, Paseka Mako wins,” he continued.
“In the end, history does not remember who played how many matches, history will never forget that this certain player won five, or six trophies with Orlando Pirates.
“I always preach about humility, but I’m proud of myself because I feel like I have sacrificed myself, I placed myself backward so that other people can shine, and eventually, we all win.”
Do you think Orlando Pirates can win the league?
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