Renowned for his impeccable character and unparalleled wisdom, Mokwena has steered Sundowns to unparalleled heights, propelling them towards an unprecedented sixth consecutive league title with his remarkable coaching prowess and indomitable spirit, Mokwena has not only cemented his place among the greats but has also transformed Mamelodi Sundowns into an unstoppable force to be reckoned with.

In this interview with the Joburg Post, Mokwena reflects on his childhood and some of his aspirations to become a professional soccer player, the Sundowns mentor also sheds some light on how Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola have influenced his coaching skills while elaborating why Percy Tau is so special to him.

Well, I honestly really had a very interesting upbringing because I come from a family that you would consider being part of the royal family of football and being born into a family of football superstars and people whose blood exudes football is really a blessing and something I am really grateful for.

So it's been a very interesting journey and one that I would not change a single thing about, but just admire and bask in the blessing because that's what it has been a blessing.

I am also equally grateful and blessed to be raised by a single parent that only wanted the best for me, my mother did a great job in raising me and I also think the role that my grandmother played in terms of the person that I am today was very important.

Well I played as a centre back and obviously one of my aspirations was to become a professional soccer player, unfortunately, an injury to my knee cut short the dream but God being God, He opened another door for me and that was coaching and I am just grateful that I responded to the calling.

Absolutely, the love for the game and being born into a football family played a huge role in me being where I am and also being who I am today.

Firstly, my time at Orlando Pirates was incredible and secondly, I still maintain that my time at Pirates was such an important part of my journey because I grew immensely and I became not just a better coach but definitely a better person too.

I really learned a lot about myself and I also learned a lot about football and I am very grateful for that period because it was a very important period and a very important time in my coaching career.

The club decided to bring in a head coach and I had to respect the fact that he was the head coach and he didn't feel that he could work with me, so I had to respect that and understand he wanted to have a certain type of people he wanted to work with.

Remember at Chippa United it was just a six months contract which was a loan and I spent the six months there, it was a bit unfortunate we had problems with Covid-19.

To be quite frank, I think I am still the only coach to have finished his contract at Chippa because I had a six months contract and I left after the six months when that contract was finished, overall it was a good experience for me to be in Port Elizabeth for those six months.

Well having been there before and establishing the great relationships that I established with the then coach, Pitso Mosimane, and the President of the club, I got invited back into the club and I was extremely grateful and humbled for the opportunity to return.

So I believe the genuine great services I had rendered before with diligence and discipline were some of the factors that contributed to the club inviting me back again.

Its honestly very difficult as the head coach to separate the accomplishments of an individual because I can never think of myself as a different part of the football club, I am the football club, and I am part of the system of the football club so my feelings should always be feelings that represent the feelings of the institution.

Having said that, we are very happy to be where we are and to achieve what we have achieved, of course, we are disappointed that we didn't do better in the CAF Champions League and go further to win it but nonetheless we are proud with the work that we have done.

We are equally pleased with the style of play we have introduced because not a lot of people can say they have a style of play or a model of play that extends into a global space where it's now Mamelodi Sundowns as an identity.

However, while we are grateful for what we were able to achieve, we still believe we can do more and we should be pushing ourselves more to do better and improve heading into the new season.

Driven but also meticulous

Well, it is very difficult to choose between the two because when I started coaching, Mourinho was the man we all looked up to as young coaches because we could resonate with him more because he became a top coach at a very young age so that means I could draw a lot of similarities and inspiration from him.

In the same light, Guardiola has had an incredible influence on my career for the last couple of years solely because of how he plays his football and how he understands the direction football is currently taking.

I don't think my career would be where it is without Mourinho being the inspiration and I equally don't think that I would be the coach that I am today without Guardiola's influence.

Another difficult one because I could go for either, it could be Ronaldo because I love the principles that his career comes with but I could also go for Messi because I think Messi reflects the love that God has for his people because he is talented, God-given, and incredible.

I have to go for both again, in fact, I will be the first coach to request FIFA permission to field two goalkeepers in a match because I believe they are two great human beings and I am honoured to coach both of them.

Ronwen is an incredibly gifted player, he is definitely going to be a football legend in this country and Denis has done it all, he has 10 league titles and he is an incredible ambassador for his country, so both are extremely talented goalkeepers and amazing to coach.

Definitely, Summer because the best football is played in Summer.

Mercedes-Benz.

His success is really humbling and inspiring at the same time because I know how hard he has worked and the sacrifices he has made to be where he is right now so in a nutshell his success really makes me proud.

As Mokwena embarks on the next chapter of his coaching journey with Mamelodi Sundowns, the anticipation for further success reaches unprecedented heights. 

Armed with a fresh four-year contract, Mokwena's unwavering commitment and unyielding passion for the game serve as the bedrock for the club's aspirations, and with his impeccable character, wisdom, and remarkable track record, Mokwena is poised to guide the team towards even greater achievements in the upcoming football season. 

As the Sundowns faithful eagerly await the kick-off, they do so with unwavering confidence in the leadership of Mokwena, knowing that under his guidance, the club's legacy of excellence will continue to flourish and reach new horizons.