Orlando Pirates legend Innocent Maela has named Wydad AC attacker Thembinkosi Lorch as the best player he’s played with.
The two shared the change room at Pirates from 2017 until Lorch left the club in 2024 to join Mamelodi Sundowns. The 2019 PSL Footballer of the Season winner has since joined the Moroccan side where he is enjoying a good season so far scoring five goals with one assist in Wydad’s matches across all competitions this season.
Maela retired from professional football in October this year aged 33 and the former Buccaneers skipper didn’t scratch his head answering on Mike Morton Speaks Football podcast about Lorch being the best teammate he has ever had and the reasons why.
“Thembinkosi Lorch easy,” said Maela.
“Only because when I joined the club, I think he was also on loan a bit and then he came back. So, when I joined the club, we were fairly, you know, young in the team. And I saw his development, and I saw him winning the footballer of the year and I saw what it took, you know, for him to reach that space.
“So, I mean, you can see the things that he’s doing now there at Wydad. He’s a top, top talent and it was a privilege for me to play alongside him. I have a few [others] also but, I mean, if I have to choose one, it will be Lorch easily.”
On whether Lorch should be part of the Bafana Bafana 2025 AFCON squad, Maela said in his opinion the 32-year-old deserved a spot in the team but knows it’s not up to him but still backs the national team.
“I worked with Coach Hugo Broos,” added Maela.
“I know how he does things. I know how he you know, he prefers dealing with these things. If it was me personally, I’d want the best players in our country representing us but it’s not up to me. Obviously, I would love to have our best players representing us.
“Hopefully he goes, we don’t know. Does he deserve it? Maybe that’s the question. Does he deserve it, absolutely yes. Will the coach take him? We don’t know. Regardless of what happens we still continue supporting the team.”
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