Former Orlando Pirates star and Jomo Cosmos owner Jomo Sono claims that during his playing time, players were too good to be compared with the current generation of footballers.
He said this after he was compared with the Orlando Pirates’ in-form winger Monnapule Saleng, emphasising that it’s still too soon to make comparisons.
Saleng has become a household name following his impressive performances since returning to the parent club Pirates from a loan spell at Swallows.
He helped the Buccaneers to knock out Mamelodi Sundowns in the MTN8 and also scored the winning goal in the final, winning the cup for the Sea Robbers.
Sono wasn’t only talking about Saleng, but he pleaded with the football fans to stop comparing the current players with legends of yesteryear as this would pressurise them, and as a result end their careers prematurely.
“They’re comparing Saleng to me and it’s too early because two games don’t make you a Jomo, that’s a fact,” he told the journalists at the World Football Summit at ICC.
“I played for 20 years and I was the youngest professional ever at 15, I was already scoring for Pirates at that age.
“So, don’t compare oil and water, we must encourage the good players rather than comparing them with us because they vanish along the way. Same thing happened to Tso [Vilakazi] because the pressure you’re putting on them is too much.
“Let them enjoy their football, let them enjoy their careers, don’t compare them with anybody.
“It’s not easy to play the way we used to play, football was different in our time, we were quicker, physically strong and we used to shoot a lot.”
Also Read: Jomo Sono’s Strong Message to Coaches
