Maestro says he never had second thoughts after he was approached by the Bucs officials
Orlando Pirates midfielder Fortune Makaringe says he is living his dream as he reminisced about his childhood days as a Bucs supporter.
The Katlehong-born is in his second season with the Buccaneers having established himself as one of the club’s key players under coach Josef Zinnbauer.
Nicknamed Maestro, Makaringe disclosed that he broke a television set at home after the Buccaneers lost one of their matches as he was heartbroken.
“I loved Orlando Pirates from a very young age. I remember one day I broke the TV after Pirates had lost,” Makaringe told Far Post.
His father, Reston Eliot Makaringe confirmed that it happened after Pirates lost to Mamelodi Sundowns by saying: “We were losing to Sundowns in the Rothmans Cup. He was so angry, he cried, he hit the TV [with his soccer boots’ studs] and broke the screen.”
Fortune grew up in Vosloorus, East Rand, Gauteng where he played for an amateur club owned by his father called, Juventus.
“I had soccer balls at home, so I would teach him how to dribble. I’d also take him to my team’s games with older players on weekends,” Reston said.
Fortune then joined the Swallows FC academy as a 15-year-old after he was recommended to the Beautiful Birds by the club’s kitman, Junior Molefe.
The skillful player was then snapped up by Maritzburg in 2015 and he played for the club’s reserve team and first team during the 2015/16 season.
“When he started at Maritzburg United, I said ‘yes’. I had a feeling he would come back to Johannesburg,” Reston revealed.
“So, I said to him, ‘you’re not staying too long in Pietermaritzburg’.”
Fortune made his professional debut in Maritzburg’s 0-0 draw against Jomo Cosmos in a PSL match in August 2015.
The talented player went on to establish himself as one of the top playmakers in the PSL during his four-year spell with the Team of Choice and he was snapped up by Pirates in June 2019.
“The team I wanted him to play for finally approached him. I never had second thoughts when I spoke to those guys [Pirates], I didn’t give them a problem,” he said.
The 27-year-old has made 34 appearances across all competitions for Pirates thus far this season and netted four goals in the process.
Makaringe and his Pirates teammates will face Swallows in a PSL match at Dobsonville Stadium on Saturday.