IF he is not on the touchline, Pitso Mosimane could be found at home listening to the sounds of the Pet Shop Boys.
Music is one of his favourite pastimes, though it may be hard for many to imagine Mosimane moving his massive cranium from side to side or rolling his neck to the sounds of the English pop duo.
That is if he is not sifting through his book collection to find one to inspire him for the next match.
But these are some of the many things people don’t know about the Mamelodi Sundowns coach.
The impression they have of him is that of an arrogant man with ego the size of the bulging Downs throphy cabinet.
Some even lose appetite at the sound of his voice or his intriguing post-match comments.
By and large, it is the misconception that leads many to attack his persona and not judge him on results.
Criticism is hardly about his work, the TKO Cup being the latest in his growing list of achievements.
His success is reduced to the resources at his disposal, as if his direct opponents operate on shoe-string budgets.
Nothing is said of the fact that he delivered the elusive Caf Champions League for the club, succeeding where as many as six foreign coaches had failed.
The cheer he received from the Wydad Casablanca fans in Morocco recently certainly wasn’t choreographed.
It was spontaneous, humbling and heart-melting moment as the usually hostile WAC fans paid tribute to a South African coach.
Such an honour can only be afforded to someone recognisable on the continent.
But significantly, the acclaim went some way towards underscoring the very fact that Mosimane can no longer be regarded as a local coach. He is an international coach, a black coach whose greatness has transcended the statistics and achievements.
He has developed Sundowns into one of the most valuable clubs on the continent.
He has established an unrivaled superiority at the domestic PSL summit.
And none of that has happened because Mosimane transformed the team with a magician’s sprinkle of stardust.
The nine trophies he has delivered for the Tshwane giants are all the result of hard work and an unending quest for success.
Everything Mosimane has done stems from his thorough planning, from his almost pathological attention to detail.
When his peers probably go on holidays, Mosimane could be found scouring the continent and parts of the world in search of talent.
This is the true measure of the effect Mosimane has on the team, much more than the titles he wins.
When many will be home with friends and family on Christmas Day, Mosimane and his team will be out in Algeria preparing for a Champions League fixture.
That is dedication right there.
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Kgomotso Sethusha
on twitter @kgomotsso
