Mokwena says Mofokeng does not need to bulk up for European football

Pyramids FC head coach Rulani Mokwena has rejected the suggestion that Relebohile Mofokeng must add significant muscle to succeed in Europe, saying size is not essential for elite football.

Mokwena was speaking to the South African Football Journalists Association (SAFJA) while discussing the 21-year-old Union Saint-Gilloise winger’s ability to cope with the demands of Belgian football.

“I’m not a big believer that you need to be big and strong to be able to be a top football player who can adapt to the physicalities of the league,” Mokwena told journalist.

The former Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns coach said physical data from South Africa’s Premier Soccer League showed that the competition compared closely with Major League Soccer (MLS) in the United States.

He referred to measurements including distances covered, high-speed metres, high-speed actions and overall intensity, saying the results placed the South African league “in and around the range” of MLS.

“The clubs now in the MLS are finding that the South African league, its intensity, its physicality, and the profile of the demands actually sets a very good preparation for players to be able to adapt,” he said.

“This document was released quite recently. This is why even leagues use metrics from a physical perspective for recruitment – it’s a blueprint used by big teams in Europe.”

Mokwena said those findings helped explain why South African players were becoming more attractive to MLS clubs. He also believes the physical step from the Premier Soccer League to Belgium, the Netherlands and potentially Spain’s LaLiga would not be excessive for Mofokeng.

Those leagues, he argued, do not require players to be “a big, strong, bulky giant to dominate that space”.

Mofokeng’s development

Mokwena said Mofokeng appeared to be at a club with a clear plan for his progress, both physically and tactically.

“I think Rele is in a good club where there does seem to be a plan for him with regards to his progressive development from a physical perspective,” he said.

“But also, when I watch the games, there does seem to be a huge maturity with regards to how he positions himself and how patient he is now in between the lines.”

The 39-year-old Soweto-born coach’s assessment differs from that of former Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos, who previously said Mofokeng could need approximately six months of physical conditioning to adjust to Belgian football.

Mokwena instead pointed to recent studies showing that the Premier Soccer League’s physical demands align closely with MLS standards, arguing that South African players already receive a useful foundation for adapting to European football.

He added that the example of LaLiga showed physical bulk was not a requirement for success at the highest level.