Jose Riveiro may no longer be in the Orlando Pirates dugout, but his fingerprints are all over the club’s new generation of rising stars. Supporters still speak about him with admiration, not only for the trophies he delivered but for the youthful energy he injected into the squad.
During his three-year stay in Soweto, Riveiro turned the Buccaneers into cup specialists, lifting five domestic trophies, twice finishing runners-up in the league, and guiding the team to a CAF Champions League semi-final. But for many fans, his most important contribution goes beyond silverware — it lives in the fearless youngsters now emerging at Mayfair.
Players like Mohau Nkota, who earned a move to Al-Ettifaq, and the exceptionally gifted Rele Mofokeng, now a poster boy for the academy, are often cited as products of a culture that Riveiro helped nurture. Supporters often point to the club’s DDC prospects — including breakout teenager Mpho Padime — as evidence that the Spaniard left the youth structures in better shape than he found them.
Riveiro himself, now back in South Africa for the Carling Black Label campaign, recently reflected on his departure. Speaking on Sports Night Live with Andile Ncube, he insisted he has no regrets about leaving Pirates.
“I don’t look back,” he said. “My decision was made long before Al Ahly came into the picture. I didn’t leave Pirates because of Ahly.”
His only disappointment? Being forced to leave before the South African season concluded. “I didn’t like that part,” he admitted. “But because of the FIFA Club World Cup, I had to move early.”
Even after a brief and turbulent spell at Al Ahly, Riveiro remains held in high regard by the Pirates faithful. The feeling is mutual — his return for Carling Knockout duties shows his affinity for South African football has not faded.
With the Buccaneers chasing Sundowns at the top of the table and exciting kids continuing to break through, many fans believe this new wave of talent is the true Riveiro legacy — one that will shape Pirates long after his exit.