Rapoo ready to wait for his chance at Orlando Pirates

Orlando Pirates and SA U-23 defender Neo Rapoo says he is prepared to remain patient while learning from Deon Hotto and Nkosikhona Ndaba.

The 21-year-old joined the Buccaneers from Siwelele during the off-season and has made seven appearances since completing the move. Hotto and Ndaba currently stand ahead of him at club level, but Rapoo says the confidence shown in him by coach Abdeslam Ouaddou is helping him stay motivated.

“Having someone that believes in you a lot also gives you that extra motivation, even though it is hard to stay patient,” Rapoo said.

“It is something I have to work on and just learn from the guys who are playing at the moment. I need to be patient, keep working hard and I will get my chances.”

Rapoo says he has adapted well to life at Orlando Pirates and has benefited from the guidance of his more experienced team-mates.

“I’ve settled in well with the guys there. They are treating me well and they tell me to keep working hard every day,” he said.

“Now, coming here with the U-23s, I can say I’ve learnt a lot from Hotto and Ndaba. They are doing very well, so as a player I just have to be patient, keep working hard and be grateful for the opportunities I get and the time that I play under coach Ouaddou.”

Rapoo is now with SA U-23 as they prepare for a two-legged 2028 Olympic qualifier against Madagascar. The first match will be played at Lucas Moripe Stadium on Saturday at 3pm, with the return fixture on Tuesday at 8pm.

The defender says SA U-23 must approach both matches with the same determination as they target qualification for the Olympics.

“Obviously, we don’t know much about Madagascar, but we have to go into every game with the winning mentality. It is every player’s dream to play in the Olympics,” he said.

“So, we just have to go with the mentality of winning all the games and hopefully we can play at the Olympics.”

Two friendly matches against Algeria in October have given Rapoo and his team-mates an indication of the physical challenge they could face from other African sides.

“It was good. Algeria were physical and that’s what we expected from other African teams actually that prepares us to go into further stages,” he said.

“Even when we were playing Afcon U-20, we saw how physical they were. We just need to play our style and move the ball quicker, but I think we will do well.”