His contribution to the beautiful game has already been an immense one, having served the likes of Pretoria Callies and Moroka Swallows as a player; and Silver Stars, Dynamos, Platinum Stars, Orlando Pirates, Bloemfontein Celtic and Highlands Park as a coach.

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One of the most respected and revered people in the world of football, both as a player and a coach, Owen da Gama might be 62-years-old but he is still on a mission to unearth talent in South Africa and says he will continue to do until he can’t anymore.

His contribution to the beautiful game has already been an immense one, having served the likes of Pretoria Callies and Moroka Swallows as a player; and Silver Stars, Dynamos, Platinum Stars, Orlando Pirates, Bloemfontein Celtic and Highlands Park as a coach.

Speaking to Robert Marawa on #MSW, da Gama reflected on his time at Pirates fondly and said the club will always hold a special place in his heart.

Pirates was one of the greatest experiences I have had. Pirates put me on the map and I will always be thankful for that opportunity. It’s one of the biggest clubs in the country and when I grew up, my father used to go to Orlando Stadium and he used to tell me about them when I was younger. It was a world-class experience to be there. The owner told me that I will be in the newspaper more than the president of the country and it was true. It was very good but you get the negativity as well, but the relationship with the supporters was amazing, especially when the young players came through and did well.

Credited with moulding the likes of Sailor Tshabalala, Suprise Moriri, Koketso Mmotong, Excellent Walaza, Eric Mathoho, and Peter Shalulile, da Gama added that coaching the U23 team at the Olympics in 2016 was one of his biggest honours.

We had very little time to prepare. That was a great achievement for me and a lot of players had to take credit for that. We played Brazil in the opening match with Neymar in the team and Gabriel Jesus. It was frightening seeing those guys but the boys held their own, we drew the game 0-0 playing the last 30 minutes with 10 men. We invest a lot into the game and we sacrifice a lot as well. Most of that goes unnoticed.

Watch below for the full interview with Owen da Gama: