Is this Rele Mofokeng’s new salary after leaving Orlando Pirates?

Mofokeng will be earning good cash after Orlando Pirates move

Relebohile Mofokeng will seal a move to Belgian side Union-Saint Gilloise in the coming days, and his exit from the club has been in the works for a while. The club officially confirmed the news on Wednesday. Now feels like a decent time for the club to sanction a sale, given the 21-year-old’s eye-catching display against South Korea in the World Cup. Pirates could recoup €4 million (R75 million) for their prized Bafana star.

Mofokeng will link up with Canada striker Promise David, the 1.95m tall star in their World Cup squad, and was a 70th-minute substitute in the Canucks’ 1-0 win over Bafana. Mofokeng scored 10 goals and laid on eight assists in the league last term, spearheading Pirates’ charge to the title. Whispers online suggest he’ll earn R1.7 million a month, or just over R20 million annually, a significant increase on a reported R90,000 monthly pay packet at Pirates.

The World Cup Round of 32 has already delivered thrills, spills and shocks galore. Although things went according to the script when Brazil beat Japan in stoppage time, the same can’t be said in other encounters. Germany fell to Paraguay on penalties, and Morocco also needed spot-kicks to down another European opponent, the Netherlands. Their reward is a meeting with Canada in the Round of 16.

A Harry Kane-inspired England eventually got the better of a spirited DR Congo side 2-1, setting up a round of 16 meeting with Mexico. There was late drama when Belgium came from 2-0 down to force extra time against Senegal. Just when it looked as though we were destined for another shootout, the Belgians won a penalty which Youri Tielemans coolly slotted after 120 minutes had elapsed. Heartbreak for the Lions of Teranga. Spain outclassed Austria 3-0, Portugal beat Croatia 2-1 thanks to a 94th-minute Goncalo Ramos strike, and Switzerland downed Algeria 2-0. There are three more African sides still to play in the Round of 32, namely Egypt vs Australia, Ghana vs Colombia and Cabo Verde against the mighty Argentina.

The internet is showing love for Mbokazi

Meanwhile, X, formerly known as Twitter (although does anybody actually call it X?), never disappoints when Bafana is in action. Although our national side fell short against Canada, there were crumbs of comfort. Former Orlando Pirates star Mbekezeli Mbokazi is arguably the biggest positive emerging from the tournament. The 20-year-old earned rave reviews for his stellar defensive displays. Now, seemingly, the guy is already a celebrity around South Africa. Nicknamed ‘TLB’ for his aggressive, heavy-duty playing style, Mbokazi is also a wonderfully clean distributor of a football with that cultured left foot.