With A history spanning over seven decades, Orlando Pirates has established a reputation as one of the biggest football franchises on the African continent. As one of the biggest soccer teams in South Africa, Orlando Pirates has millions of football fans across the country.
Founded in 1937 as Orlando Boys Club, the team is now chaired by Dr Irvin Khoza.
Over the years it has established a respected reputation through some quality displays of football. To date, it is the only South African team to have won the CAF Champions League (1995).
In recent years the team has dominated in cup competitions as well as in the domestic league, managing to draw thousands of fans to the stadium. The club’s talented pool of players is the biggest drawcard – something which the players have been handsomely rewarded for.
CEO at player management firm Prospect International, Mike Makaab has said: “In this country we’ve seen an enormous rise in earnings of our football players.”
Much of this can be attributed to the business of sport. The Premier Soccer League has grown to such an extent that it’s now one of the world’s top leagues financially.
Just to put it into perspective: The average salary for players ranges from R20 000 to R50 000 per month – which is almost four times what the average teacher in a public school makes.
Orlando Pirates’ Highest Paid Players include the likes of Oupa Manyisa and Mpho Makola.
Oupa Manyisa:
The 27-year-old football star is one of the PSL’s highest-earning players, making between R250 000 and R450 000 per month.
Worth about R11 million, Manyisa was rumoured to be moving to Mamelodi Sundowns in a mammoth deal at the beginning of 2015. He eventually decided to stay with Orlando Pirates, extending his stay at the club until 2018.
Mpho Makola:
Attacking midfielder Makola (29) has been at Orlando Pirates since 1 July 2012 and is worth about R7 million. He earns between R120 000 and R450 000 per month