Pitso Mosimane has cited the success of Pep Guardiola in reference to his bold decision to leave his comfort zone at Mamelodi Sundowns.
Mosimane announced his shock resignation from Sundowns on Wednesday morning after a glittering eight-year spell which yielded 13 major titles.
Scroll through the gallery above to see Mosimane's first training session with the star-studded Al Ahly squad
The lure of the 41-time Egyptian Premier League champions saw the former Bafana Bafana head coach take a leap of faith to move to Cairo, where he officially signed his two-year contract on Friday.
When asked about his confidence of succeeding in North Africa in an interview on Al Ahly TV, Mosimane issued a response the perfectly encapsulates the confidence he exuded during his legendary spell in Mzansi.
"Football managers are professionals, as Pep Guardiola left Spain and went to Germany then England, where the cultures and the languages are different so I can do this," he said. "Football is an international game and you can follow it wherever you are."
Having endured a tearful goodbye to a section of the Masandawana faithful at OR Tambo, he went on to admit hat a club of the Red Devils magnitude was impossible to ignore - despite his unprecedented success at Chloorkop.
"Sundowns is a big team but let's be honest, Sundowns are not Al Ahly in terms of culture, history and profile. Al Ahly was founded more than one hundred years ago, you have to respect that," Mosimane explained.
"You look at the stars above the badge and the stars down the eagle, you should respect that. Coaching Al Ahly is a big opportunity for me."
Mosimane will oversee his first game in charge of the record eight-time African champions on Sunday when they face off against Arab Contractors at the Cairo International Stadium at 20h00 (GMT+2).