Kauleza: Difference between this Pirates and ours

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Jimmy Kauleza said the current Pirates team is more united than the generation he was part of. Photo: Gallo Images

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Kauleza: Difference between this Pirates and ours

Aug 19, 2026 – 01:40 pm
By Sipho Mlotha

Former Orlando Pirates striker Jimmy Kauleza says that, even though their 2002/03 league-winning team was better in terms of quality, the current generation cannot be matched in team spirit.

Pirates won the league 2002/03 season by finishing on 61 points on the log table, under the guidance of Roy Barreto, beating runners-up SuperSport United, who finished on 55 points.

The late Lesley Manyathela, Mbulelo Mabizela, Steve Lekoelea, Gift Leremi, and Benedict Vilakazi were part of that golden generation.

That season, the Soweto giants finished six points clear of Matsatsantsa.

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“Overall, this current Pirates team is better than our generation because they can win three cups in one season; we used to win one cup per season,” Kauleza tells KickOff.

“The current Pirates team is playing in one spirit, and the coach is pushing them. We had quality, but the spirit was not there. We had better quality than them, but these boys are really pushing themselves.

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“We were not together as one. Jealousy amongst the teammates was the biggest problem. But that is bound to happen if you sign only quality players in one team. There’ll be a lot of egos, as some will get paid way better than others,” adds the man nicknamed ‘Gusheshe’.

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