The Buccaneers finished second in the Absa Premiership last season and therefore qualified for the Champions League for the first time since losing out to Al Ahly in the 2013 final.
Pirates are looking to compete on all fronts next season, so they’ve gone into the market to bring in nine new players, including Mabaso from Chippa United, where he performed excellently in the engine room.
“Yes, it [the Champions League] is something I am looking forward to because you gain a lot of experience from playing in the continental cup. It’s an experience I am looking forward to, to compete with other clubs on the continent,” Mabaso tells snl24.com/kickoff.
“It will help me be a better player and a more complete player,” he adds.
Pirates, who have already begun pre-season training, are determined to go one further than they did in the league last season. They finished just behind champions Mamelodi Sundowns and now they’ll be going for the top prize in domestic football.
“They did exceptionally well last season. I want to see everybody in this team winning the league. That’s the most important thing for us. They finished second last season, so we need to go higher, which is first place.”