Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane has revealed that he didn’t believe that star attacker Percy Tau would make it, but admits he has been proven wrong, writes DEAN WORKMAN.

Together Pitso and Percy have helped guide the Brazilians to an eighth PSL crown, all while still competing in various other competitions.

When asked about Tau’s ability at the monthly Absa Premiership awards press conference, where both Pitso and Percy walked away winners, the 2016 Caf Coach of the Year said, ‘I must tell you Percy drives himself, I don’t drive Percy.

‘Honestly speaking, in my 15 years of football, my whole coaching career, I have never coached a player like him, because of his mentality, the way he thinks.

‘I mean this guy keeps me every time before the match, he says “I want to show you” this and that, the strengths and weaknesses [of the opposition]. We have a lot of fights, I say “no no it’s not the way it must be done, it must be different”, every match. He can show you on his phone all his match analysis.

‘I have never had a player who really took the best out of me like him. We had our fights when he was playing for the MDC team. Those were the life lessons that he knows.

‘I must tell you that Percy proved me wrong, because I never thought he could play this level of football. I always thought he was one of those ice-cream players, who look nice on the ball, doing the dribbling and the entertaining, but don’t score goals.

‘Percy scores goals, that’s why he is the best player. I never thought he could do that, but he has proven me wrong. He scored nine last year and now scored 11. Now I have to eat the humble pie and he told me, “Remember, you never thought I would make it”.

‘And that’s the mentality. I mean it when I say it I have never had a player that has an opinion and looks at situations in a game.

‘I think it’s never too late and I think that Percy must play in Europe,’ concluded Pitso.

Photo: Muzi Ntombela/BackpagePix