Maela Joins 200 Club - Orlando Pirates FC
Commitment, consistency, and loyalty have led to another milestone for Orlando Pirates captain Innocent Maela, who brought up a double-century of appearances for the Club when they beat Chippa United 2-1 on Wednesday night.
The 32-year-old was brought on in the dying moments of the Buccaneers’ Betway Premiership opener against the Chilli Boys. His low-key entrance placed him among a select few who have worn the badge on 200 or more occasions.
For one of the Bucs development structures’ biggest success stories, it’s another landmark in a journey that began long before he was first introduced to the wider audience – representing the First Team for the first time against Lamontville Golden Arrows in October 2017 – and a clear testament to his loyalty and dedication to the famous skull and crossbones.
Reflecting on his remarkable progression from the Academy ranks where his football story began along with that of many other hopefuls, Maela revealed that reaching this milestone far exceeded anything he had envisioned.
“When I joined the Academy, my first goal was to improve as a player as much as I can. I didn’t even think that one day I’d be playing for the first team,” he told orlandopiratesfc.com. “To get the opportunity to represent the Club so many times has been an honour to me and a privilege. I dedicate this milestone to all the players from the Academy who didn’t have the opportunity to play for the First Team. This is for them.”
Maela’s career has been littered with many key moments, from impacting iconic fixtures to repaying his teammates’ faith in him by steering the team to silverware. According to the skipper, these all rank very high in the list of his favourite memories as a Buccaneer.
“One of my favourite memories is scoring against Kaizer Chiefs in the Soweto Derby,” he said. “That memory will stay with me for a very long time, and obviously becoming the Club’s captain. That was a huge milestone for me and an honour to be voted by my teammates.
”It shows the contribution that I’ve made to the Club and how they see me as a human being and as a leader.
“So that was also one of my favourite memories, as well as lifting trophies. As a development player, it’s great when you get the opportunity to play for the First Team, and they name you as captain, then you go on and lift trophies.”
As a senior player and leader, Maela is aware of the responsibilities on his plate and is determined to give back by dedicating the current chapter of his career to contributing towards shaping the up-and-coming talent coming through at the Club.
“I think for me it’s to help the younger players as much as I can, to help my teammates when they need me, and to contribute as much as I can to the team, to the Club, and also to try and improve because we can never stop improving” Maela said. ”So what I’m hoping to achieve is to help the younger ones settle into the setup and realise their potential,” he concluded.
