Following the great Lucas 'Masterpieces' Moripe's passing, South African football legend Mlungisi Ngubane believes he was not given the recognition he truly deserved by the country.
Moripe was using a wheelchair at the time of his passing, having suffered a mild stroke.
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The former Pretoria Callies star, who came into prominence during the 1970s, was honoured when Atteridgeville's Super Stadium was renamed Lucas Moripe Stadium.
He also played for Orlando Pirates during the '80s.
"Count my words, now that he is no longer with us, very soon his name will be placed in the Hall of Fame. They always do that when we are gone," notes the outspoken Ngubane.
"Currently, they are still starting with their friends. 'Masterpieces' was a genius. I'm fortunate to have seen him play for Pretoria Callies. He was a top midfielder.
"He was a typical South African player. In the current generation, you can compare him to someone like Themba Zwane.
"But this thing of talking about our legends only when they've passed on should stop.
"Today, there are academies named after Clive Barker, but when he was alive, he was labeled a bad coach."
Ngubane expressed sadness over the lack of visitors during Moripe's illness.
"Masterpieces was sick, but I never saw anyone visiting him at home. The only people I noticed were from Mamelodi Sundowns. It's painful to see our people think that not playing in Europe during those times was our fault.
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"They forget that the Apartheid era denied us opportunities. It ensured we never played professionally."
'Professor' concluded by expressing hope that Moripe's children receive something in recognition of the Lucas Moripe Stadium's name.