Could the new campaign be Cemran Dansin’s breakout season at Orlando Pirates? By Mazola Molefe.
Orlando Pirates have unearthed Cemran Dansin, and the 2026/27 season could be his breakthrough campaign.
In case you had forgotten about him, the 21-year old introduced himself to the football fraternity with a stunning equaliser when the Buccaneers held then-reigning Betway Premiership champions Mamelodi Sundowns to a 1-1 draw at Loftus Versfeld in November last year.
A surprise choice in the starting line-up by coach Abdeslam Ouaddou ahead of the in-form Sipho Mbule, the youngster did not look out of place on one of the biggest stages in South African football.
Ouaddou said then that he backed Dansin to become a household name if he stayed grounded, but significant game time did not immediately follow.
The explanation was simple enough – competition in the Pirates midfield was fierce as the Soweto giants pursued a league title they would eventually win by a solitary point ahead of Sundowns.
Yet the coach’s decision to trust Dansin against Masandawana was no spur-of-the-moment gamble.
“Since I’ve come in the country, I discovered there’s so much talent in South Africa, and when you notice and have the eye to see some young talent in the country, they deserved to be encouraged and pushed to build themselves,” Ouaddou said.
The Moroccan tactician has long championed youth development and admitted that too many coaches are reluctant to throw youngsters into high- pressure situations.
“I know sometimes, some coaches are scared to give chances to the young because they are scared of the opposition – if they lose, they can be sacked,” he explained.
“But, as an ex-football player, I got the chance to play at the age of 18 years old, so I have seen fantastic potential in that player since the pre-season. We decided to bring him to Spain with us, and he’s shown us fantastic qualities in those friendly games.”
Still, Ouaddou was careful not to get carried away.
Having spent years working in player development structures in France, he understood the dangers of placing too much pressure on a promising youngster.
“You have to be careful not to burn this kind of potential, so you have to bring them in step by step,” he said.
“It’s why you have seen that I give him sometimes 15, 20, 30, 60 minutes, just to make him comfortable. I thought it was the right moment for him against one of the best teams on the continent, and to throw him into the deep end.”
The coach compared the process to teaching a bird how to fly.
“It’s like a bird, if you don’t give him the opportunity to fly – you have to throw him from the tree to learn, and that’s what we did. We need to put him and give him experience.”
That experience appears set to pay dividends. With Pirates entering a new campaign and fresh opportunities opening up in midfield, Dansin could finally be ready to establish himself as a regular.
Ouaddou certainly believes the talent is there, even if there is still work to be done.
“I think it was a fantastic opportunity for him to show against Mamelodi Sundowns what he’s able to do. Of course, I agree he still needs to work.
“If he was perfect, we would say that he’s a Messi, but he still needs to work and we will improve him to be one of the best players in South Africa.”
