New Orlando Pirates wing Kudakwashe Mahachi believes fear was the reason he failed to make it at Mamelodi Sundowns but is ready to make his mark at Pirates.
The midfielder joined the Brazilians from Zimbabwean side Bantu Rovers in 2014 but failed to make any sort of impact and made 13 appearances during the 2014-15 Absa Premiership campaign.
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The Zimbabwe international left Sundowns to join Golden Arrows on loan ahead of the 2015-16 PSL season and then signed for the club on a permanent basis in 2016.
During his time at Arrows, Mahachi adapted to the PSL and eventually caught the eye of Orlando Pirates after scoring four goals and providing one assist in 25 appearances across all competitions for Abafana Bes’thende.
After securing a move to Pirates, Mahachi revealed that fear was the reason he failed to make an impact at Sundowns, but with the backing of Pirates coach Milutin Sredojevic and Rhulani Mokwena, he believes he is ready to shine on the big stage.
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‘I had fear when I joined Sundowns. I was very young from Zimbabwe. I had a lot of fear. I only got confidence at Arrows. That is where I got to express myself and do well,’ Mahachi told Power FM Sport.
‘I had that fear because I was playing with top players like Surprise Moriri, Teko Modise, Anthony Laffor, Elias Pelembe, you can name them. I did not expect to play with them at that time.
‘Playing with big guns like Moriri and Teko should have been motivation, but I did not believe in myself. I was young and I thought time was on my side. That was not the case because that is a big team with quality players,’ Mahachi added on his time at Downs.
‘I really started expressing myself a lot more at Arrows. I can safely say Arrows is the team that made me. It is now an honour to join Pirates.
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‘I have matured now. I played three seasons at Arrows and I know how the PSL works. I want to do well at Pirates. Now I feel that I will do better here because coach Micho [Milutin Sredojevic] and coach Rhulani believe in me,’ he concluded.
Pirates begin the 2018-19 PSL campaign when they host Highlands Park at the Orlando Stadium on Saturday, with kick-off scheduled for 8pm.