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Cape Town - Orlando Pirates striker Thamsanqa Gabuza has revealed that Bafana Bafana coach Shakes Mashaba is a father-figure to him.
Gabuza has been a key figure in the Bafana set-up despite some criticism from the supporters for his poor goalscoring prowess.
The powerful forward, though, believes that his role is not that of a traditional scoring number nine and has expressed his gratitude to Mashaba for his trust and faith.
"People always find something negative to say about me but here is someone who decides to put me in the starting line-up," Gabuza told Soccer Laduma.
"A lot of people don't see me as the number one striker for Bafana Bafana, but he is able to make a tough decision because he trusts in me.
"Even at training and before games he tells me, 'I wish you all the best. Just play your normal football according to my instructions.' All he wants from me is to continue working hard and to follow his instructions.
"It's about wanting it more than your opponents! If you want it just a little bit, you'll get less. But if you want it so badly, you'll get something."
