A popular social media user who manipulates photographs to have fun decided to use Pitso Mosimane as his subject this week.
Let me tell you, the man has mad skills and gets a kick out of seeing the reaction when he posts the original and the altered images side by side on social media.
It is no exaggeration to suggest the man’s work is near flawless and I have seen him Photoshop images so perfectly that you would need a high-powered lab microscope to tell the difference between the original and the manipulated version.
Anyway, Manchester United gave him ideas when the English club fired manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer on Sunday and he decided to use the Al Ahly coach as his muse. The result was a riot.
He sent social media into a frenzy when he altered an original Solskjaer image and Photoshopped Mosimane’s head into the Norwegian’s training jacket. The image was perfectly timed and he could not have picked a better day to get a reaction.
Media and fans around the world were in the midst of speculating about the identity of the new man who will succeed the Norwegian at Old Trafford, and his manipulated image slipped perfectly into the discourse. The naughty post stirred things up and adding the Al Ahly coach’s name to the hat suggested that the South African coach would be a suitable replacement for Solskjaer.
A fun debate ensued and many wondered if Mosimane would be capable of managing a club like United, or if the suggestion would be a stretch for a man of his many talents. But some took things seriously and started to engage in disparaging debates.
But it got me thinking. How often do our South African coaches’ names come up when clubs around the world are discussing the appointment of a new man? Does anyone’s name from this side of the Equator spark serious debate?
Mosimane has made a name for himself and his name regularly comes up when the biggest and the richest clubs on the continent discuss potential employees. He would not be at Al Ahly, one of Africa’s most successful and best-supported football clubs, if his name was not being mentioned in high places.
He would not have become the first black Sub-Saharan African coach to lead the African club of the century if he had not cemented his reputation as one of the most respected figures on the continent.
Continental powerhouses such as Wydad Casablanca of Morocco, Espérance of Tunisia and TP Mazembe of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, among other clubs, would not be whispering his name when they are in trouble and need a magician if he wasn’t the real deal.
But does this respect extend beyond the continent? And who else from SA elicits the same attention?
I would like to believe Mosimane does command respect as many of those watching from a distance keep tabs on his progress and have not hidden their admiration. But who else is given the same status from this part of the world?
We are often obsessed about our players leaving these shores to play in other parts of the world, but we forget that coaches are also in the same WhatsApp group. The more brilliant coaches we produce, the greater the chance that SA football is on the right track.
Mosimane has shown the way and we can only hope that one day he will be at the helm of a club in Europe or South America.
Follow Ntloko on Twitter at @ntlokom.
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