I don't regret anything

Once a familiar figure in the PSL midfield with spells at Free State Stars, Polokwane City, SuperSport United and Royal AM, Moffat Mdluli has quietly transitioned into a new chapter of his football journey through the fast-growing world of five-a-side football. Now representing Orlando Pirates Fives, the 40-year-old remains fiercely competitive, proving that the love for the game does not fade with age or changing formats. In December last year, Mdluli and his Pirates teammates lifted the 5quad League title, walking away with a remarkable R500 000 prize after dominating the tournament. In this interview with Soccer Laduma's Delmain Faver, he opens up about life beyond the PSL, his business ventures, and the rapid rise of five-a-side football as a genuine platform for elite competition and player resurgence.

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MM: I think if it was in my hands, then I would have regrets. But I don’t really know what happened. I was looking forward to that opportunity. I mean, the team was still doing well. They still had a lot of quality players. All I can say is that I was going to be happy about the opportunity

and I was going to fight for my place in the team. But because the situation was not in my hands, I couldn't decide to say, “Okay, I want this” or “I don’t want this.” I think everything failed at the office. But in terms of regrets, I don’t regret anything because every opportunity I got, I used it coming from Soweto. I never played for any development side like Chiefs or Pirates, and having to make it to SuperSport under coach Gavin Hunt, with so many quality players around, that was the highlight, just to make it to the PSL. I know how much talent and how many players we have in the country, but they never got an opportunity. I'll forever be grateful for the opportunity more than anything.

DF: How did you join Pirates? You’ve been playing five-a-side for the last 12 years.

MM: I used to play with Kyle Koert for Football Flava. We played for Football Flava together for about a year or two, won a few tournaments, we travelled together abroad. After that, when we came back, Kyle had a meeting with Conrad Botha, the Orlando Pirates 5s manager, to try and assemble a team that would compete, a team that will win because there was a Pirates 5s team that I think was not doing so well. Kyle gave me a call and that was it. I met some of the guys I played with 11-a-side before. We have to adapt and make sure that we are unbeatable because of the experience and the hard work done behind the scenes. That’s what we believe in more than anything.

DF: For the people who don’t know, can you explain what Orlando Pirates Fives is?