Mphahlele says he looked up to Jimmy Tau, who played for both Soweto giants during his career. In fact, it was Tau who made Mphahlele believe that he has what it takes to make it as a professional footballer.
Another player Mphahlele enjoyed watching in the Soweto Derby was former Bafana Bafana and Bucs captain Thabo Mngomeni.
Mngomeni is remembered as one of the country’s finest central midfielders, with an unbelievable ability to play a defence-splitting pass. The former Bush Bucks player also scored some spectacular goals during his time in the PSL.
“I just loved how Thabo played as a midfielder. He had the swag in the middle of the park,” Mphahlele says.
Mphahlele is aiming to get his first victory over Pirates since joining Amakhosi last season. He has urged that the sides have a full go at one another and not take the cautious approach, as has been the case many a time in this fixture.
“I just feel we are too cautious. The chairman [Kaizer Motaung] comes and tells us about the history of the Derby. We don’t want to lose the game, but we should not go in with that mentality because we will end up playing it safe. Let’s have a go at each other. I am not saying we should disrespect the tactics of the coaches, but let’s make it exciting.”