Orlando Pirates supporters were still coming to terms with Mohau Nkota’s exit to Al Ettifaq in Saudi Arabia when Mbokazi quickly followed suit.
The Hluhluwe-born defender was just eight to nine months into his Orlando Pirates professional career when the Sea Robbers announced his exit before AFCON last December.
MBEKEZELI MBOKAZI FROM ORLANDO PIRATES TO CHICAGO FIRE
According to Mbokazi’s agent, Basia Michaels, the deal had nearly materialised months earlier.
“How easy was the deal? Not easy at all,” Michaels said on the Smash Sports podcast. “How did the deal come about? The deal was close to being done last window (July – September 2025), very close, like a finger tip close to being done.
Michaels explained that the financial terms of the deal were straightforward and not where the challenge lay. The real difficulty, she said, came before even reaching a club-to-club agreement.
LIFE IN CHICAGO
At the time, Mbokazi was still 19 and had not yet turned 20, and her primary concern was his ability to manage day-to-day life, starting with something as basic as cooking for himself.
“…My concern was his life, he can’t drive and has to be taught how to drive, something that we were doing at this side of the world, those life skills have to be taught and imparted.
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“It was something that was my first concern, outside of how much money he is going to make, how much money Pirates are going to make, how much money the agency is going to make, my first concern was how is he (going) to live life day to day?” Michaels added.
WHAT DO YOU EXPECT FROM MBEKEZELI MBOKAZI’S FIRST SEASON IN THE MLS?
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