Mokwena Rejects Bulking Up Theory For Mofok…

Mofokeng doesn’t need to bulk up says Mokwena. Photo by Daniel Hlongwane/Gallo Images)

Pyramids FC head coach Rulani Mokwena has dismissed suggestions that Relebohile Mofokeng needs to bulk up in order to succeed in European football, arguing that physical size is not a prerequisite for elite performance.

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Mokwena, speaking to the South African Football Journalists Association (SAFJA), challenged conventional wisdom about the physical demands facing South African players moving abroad.

The former Orlando Pirates coach was specifically defending the 21-year-old Union Saint-Gilloise winger’s readiness for 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 now Cairo-based mentor said when studies of the South African league is done with regards to the collection of data pertaning to the physical context, i.e distances covered, high-speed meters, high-speed actions, overall intensity; they find that the Mzansi league is in and around the range of Major League Soccer (MLS) in the United States.

“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. 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,” shared Mokwena.

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SA Players Appealing to the MLS

He said this is what makes South African football players a bit more appealing to the MLS.

The former Mamelodi Sundowns coach presumes from a physical perspective it would not be too much of a jump for Mofokeng to adapt to leagues in Belgium and maybe Netherlands, and maybe even to prepare himself for the bigger leagues like Spain’s LaLiga.

“Which don’t need you to be a big, strong, bulky giant to dominate that space,” he averred about the leagues mentioned above.

“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. 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.”

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Mokwena Contradicts Broos

The 39-year-old Soweto-born tactician’s comments directly contradict earlier assessments from former Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos, who had suggested Mofokeng would require approximately six months of physical conditioning to adapt to Belgian football’s demands.

Mokwena pointed to recent data studies showing that the Premier Soccer League’s physical metrics align closely with MLS standards, providing players with adequate preparation for transitions to European leagues.

The coach emphasized that technical leagues like LaLiga demonstrate that physical bulk is not essential for success at the highest level.

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