It was the dishonourable play by William Shakespeare in Twelfth Night where he tells us not to fear greatness for ‘some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon ’em’.
It rang true this past weekend in Casablanca, Morocco when Kagiso-born Pitso Mosimane won his career third CAF Champions League medal with Al Ahly mercilessly disposing of glamour club Kaizer Chiefs 3-0 and the 10th for the Egyptian giants.
But Mosimane has now become the first African manager to win three Champions League titles, having won two with Al Ahly and one with Mamelodi Sundowns.
For the assiduous Pitso, what is more apt is he has achieved greatness and for those who subscribe to the Christian faith the number 3 is one of the most important numbers in the Bible – it symbolises harmony, of God’s presence and of completeness.
Indeed God is in Pitso’s presence. In making reference to the Biblical scriptures Jesus prayed three times before being arrested.
Jesus was put to the cross at the third hour of the day and died at the ninth hour which is 15:00 and at the third hour of the day and died at the ninth hour which is 15:00.
Number 3 is the number of eternal life, as he was resurrected after three days of being dead. And if you dig deeper into the scriptures, you will remember that it is Peter, John and James who saw the Holy Transfiguration of Jesus and of course God’s throne is located at the third heaven.
But what then becomes the significance of the number 10 for which Al Ahly has won the CAF Champions League – an unprecedented feat. Staying with Biblical reference, Noah was of the 10th generation and the ark was created to lead to the new beginning. His word is reflected in 10 Commandments that symbolize the ultimate law for any person to live by.
Pitso’s football journey and all that has happened in his life on the professional front is scripted.
I shudder to think what is going through the minds of that handful of idiots who insulted and embarrassed Pitso at the precinct of the Lucas Moripe stadium.
God loves us all but clearly He has his favourites and Pitso is certainly one of them.