Orlando Pirates stalwart Innocent Maela has been a loyal servant to the Buccaneers, writes Mazola Molefe.
In March this year, Orlando Pirates club captain Innocent Maela took a break from football to tie the knot, but a few weeks later the 32-year-old all but indicated an even longer pause from the game might be imminent.
Maela began his career with Witbank Spurs in his home town before joining Thanda Royal Zulu and later making a move that would bring the left back into the spotlight he now has when signing for the Soweto giants.
Over 200 appearances later for Pirates, many would argue that the softly spoken Maela could even add 50 more matches.
But with injuries forcing him to have one operation after another, Maela gave the biggest hint yet that he might settle down for good.
“We all know that you can’t play the game forever,” was the skipper’s response when asked about his thoughts on the emerging talent at Pirates that have limited his own game time at the club.
“I think in life, just like anything else, you have to allow succession to happen. So if you have an opportunity and God has placed you in a position where you can influence the next generation, you have to take it with both hands.”
Sounds like goodbye. Maela is in the final year of his contract at the club and with a handful appearances under coach José Riveiro in the season that has just ended, there was a strong indication it would not be renewed.
However, at his age Maela could still offer his service elsewhere, although his comments gave the impression he was not keen on that.
“You need to have the grace within yourself to accept it because it’s easy and nice to have grace when things are happening for you, but it’s very difficult not to have the same grace when things are not happening,” the defender got philosophical with a remark that suggested he would walk away.
“I think for me, personally, I truly believe I’ve had that grace within myself and I thank God and the people that groomed me, when I was young, to be in this position right now.”
Maela not only enjoyed a long career at Pirates but was part of the Bafana Bafana squad at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt under Stuart Baxter – but unused during a tournament in which the national side reached the quarter-finals.
Reports have indicated that Pirates could offer him a role behind the scenes, but at 32 this is unthinkable.
“I think I’ve done extremely well for myself, for the club,” he said.
“It’s been a privilege and an honour for me to be in this position to influence the people that are coming after me and after us. But everyone will know my decision when the time is right, I promise.”
