‘Abdeslam Ouaddou will surpass Riveiro’s achievements’ – Pirates legend

Orlando Pirates legend Edward Motale believes the new Bucs coach, Abdeslam Ouaddou, can surpass Jose Riveiro.

The Spaniard won five trophies in three years with the Buccaneers before leaving for Ah Ahly in May. During his tenure with the Soweto giants, Riveiro reached the CAF Champions League semi-final last season and also led the team to six finals.

Motale think new coach Ouaddou can achieve the same success.

“I’m pleased with the team that our new coach has put together so far. The signings they’ve made will create strong competition within the squad,” Motale told KickOff.

“You can see that the coach believes in hard work and youth. He’s been in South Africa for a while now, so he has done his research.

“I believe Ouaddou will be the best and will surpass Riveiro’s achievements. Just look at how he managed to perform with Marumo Gallants when there were only five games left in the season; his impact was significant.

“If he had arrived earlier, he would have done even better with them. He brought direction to that team,” added the 1995 CAF Champions League-winning captain.

Motale feels Ouaddou can match and surpass Riveiro

“What I appreciate about him is that he has played the game at the highest level, so he understands what it takes to succeed in football.

“With this coach and this group and this group of players, Orlando Pirates will definitely win the league this coming season,” Motale said.

Ouaddou’s first task is to win the MTN8, which Riveiro won in his first season. The Buccaneers play Polokwane City in the quarter-finals of the competition next week.