The newly promoted Motsepe Foundation Championship side MM Platinum, popularly known as La Masia, have signed former Orlando Pirates midfielder Augustine Mahlonoko on a one-year deal [with an option of another year].
“He signed a one-year deal with La Masia on Friday after a few weeks of training with them. Before that, he caught the interest of Black Leopards, but he was not happy to move to Thohoyandou. That’s when he ended up at La Masia,” a source told FARPost.
Mahlonoko was released by Baroka in the off-season after an unsuccessful loan spell with Pretoria Callies in the 2021/22 season. The Westbury-based side was recently promoted from the ABC Motsepe League to the second tier of South African football.
La Masia became popular in the township tournaments like Kwa-Mahlobo and Phyllis Games. This season will be their maiden in professional football, and they will look to leave an indelible mark.
Mahlonoko, who came through the junior ranks of the Buccaneers, was tipped for greater heights after making his PSL debut at the tender age of 16 in the 2018/19 season under the mentorship of Milutin Sredojevic.
The 20-year-old earned international recognition in 2018 after he was named amongst the top 60 young players in the world by the UK publication The Guardian while he was with the Soweto giants.
Pirates released the Vaal-born midfield sensation in 2019, and Baroka FC moved swiftly to add him to their squad at the beginning of 2020/21 campaign. The starlet failed to stamp his authority at Bakgakga and only managed six appearances with no goal or assist to his name.
He also trained for few weeks with Black Leopards at some point with hope of earning a contract but he failed to impress the technical team. The youngster will be looking to revive his career in the upcoming season as La Masia looks to push for automatic promotion to the DStv Premiership.