Orlando Pirates’ coach José Riveiro admits that he didn’t imagine that it would get this big, but he knew that hard work would eventually pay off.
Pirates are, arguably, the second best team in the land, behind the seven-time successive Premiership champions, Mamelodi Sundowns.
They’ve won five trophies - the MTN8s and two Nedbank Cups - while their blemish was losing out on the Carling Knockout and finishing as the league’s runners’ up back-to-back.
They could make up for some lost ground this season. They are still in the running for the Betway Premiership and third successive Nedbank Cup.
And that’s not all. Pirates’ season could even get better so much so that they can also win their second CAF Champions League crown as they are in the semi-final.
Riveiro, though, could possibly achieve the improbable in his last season at the club after announcing that he’ll not be renewing his contract come June.
The Spaniard will leave his post as one of the most revered coaches in the Pirates history. But it wasn’t always love at first sight - he was ridiculed as a plumber upon his arrival.
The 49-year-old put hard work first, and that paid off as he turned his detractors into admirers. And that’s why the team is where they are at the moment.
“We didn’t imagine it, but we worked on it from day one. That’s why we have already won some trophies and have good games behind us,” Riveiro said.
“We’ve been working on it - we haven’t only been wishing. We have been working on it, not just imagining or wishing. So, we are trying to make it possible with every game.
“We have faith and hope to be the team that we want to be since day one. It’s been a long process from beginning to now.”
Pirates’ faith could still be rewarded by winning the Nedbank Cup for a third season in a row if they beat Marumo Gallants in the semi-final this afternoon.
Riveiro knows, though, that won’t be handed to them on a silver platter. And that’s why they need to adopt the same mentality that has kept them going over the years.
“But like I said, we have managed to be competitive here since day one - getting our first trophy since three or four months,” Riveiro said.
“We are still there. We have been in domestic competitions, but we have one more to compete in - the continental one.
“We will go there and try to do it. When we think about ourselves, we think in the best scenario. We don't come and say ‘let's save the team and not go to the NFD’.”
Riveiro credits the support staff and the fans for all that they’ve achieved at the club, and that’s why he feels they can’t drop the ball now.
“We want to really be at the top because we can do it. We have the resources, the support and everything to be possible,” he said.
“We are like most of the teams in the competition, so yeah, that’s enough (as I’ll say on the matter).”