Nasief Morris is undoubtedly one of South Africa's finest exports to have ever played in Europe. His football journey took him from the streets of Cape Town to the Greek Premier League and the UEFA Champions League, where he played against the likes of Barcelona. Sadly, though, not too many have followed in his footsteps, as the number of South African players moving to Europe has dried up. After hanging up his boots, he ventured into coaching, where he worked as Shaun Bartlett's assistant at Cape Town Spurs. Soccer Laduma's Delmain Faver caught up with the former Bafana Bafana and Panathanaikos defender to discuss the country's failure to export players as they did in years gone by and what it felt like to come up against Lionel Messi as a player, among other things.
Delmain Faver: Coach, South Africa is currently facing an uphill battle with regards to exporting youngsters to some of the best leagues in Europe. As someone who played in Greece and Spain, what do you think are the reasons younger players are not making it to top-level European leagues as you did in your day?
Nasief Morris: You set goals for yourself, and you're going to have to do whatever it takes to succeed and to achieve those goals. I went to Europe, I didn't have anybody there with me. There was a language barrier, and guys didn't want to speak English. They can speak English, but they didn't speak it. So, it's a battle and you need to stay focused on your objective. My objective was to play in Europe. I wanted to play against the best in the world, play at the highest level. I mean, the only thing that I missed out on was the World Cup; other than that, I played in the Champions League, Europa League, and one AFCON.
DF: Only the World Cup?
NM: Only the World Cup. So, I kind of achieved everything that I aimed for. To succeed, you have to believe that you can overcome every obstacle that comes your way. The obstacles that are going to come, you need to get over that. Sometimes players go somewhere and the problem is that they are always blaming the coaches. 'Oh, the coach doesn't like me.' If you're going to do your job, the coach has no choice but to play you. That is exactly what I say to them. When I went to Greece for the first time, I could see that I was not going to be a starting 11 player. But then I got an opportunity before the league started because it was an international break and there was an Austrian international guy at centre back that I was competing with. Other players obviously went to the national team. We went to a tournament in Cyprus and spent a weekend there, played three games in the tournament, and I made sure that I played exceptionally well. So, the coach faced a dilemma: 'Do I play this guy or do I play the international guy?' Me and the player from Cyprus arrived at the club in the same year, so we were both new.
DF: We hear you…
NM: But I played. I didn't give the coach a choice, that's the thing. That's why I say, don't blame the coaches every time. As a player, you need to do your job to the best of your ability and make sure that the coaches don't have a choice. They're going to have to play you. It's as simple as that. Look at Jabu Mahlangu; he went to Austria, and not long after that, when Muhsin (Ertugral) left, he was on the bench. That's different when there's another coach taking over because he is going to play his players.
DF: You played against Lionel Messi. At that time, did you already see what we all know now, or was he just another opponent whenever you came up against him?
NM: No, look, I think Messi just hit the scene in that period. But you could see, even in his first game. I remember the goal he scored when he came on as a sub and chipped the keeper. That confidence, that quality that he showed, I knew he was going to be a superstar. But when we played against him, I always reminded myself that he's just as human as I am. It's 11-vs-11. We're going to compete no matter what. So that is the thing I would always keep in mind, and it's about what you produce on that day.
DF: We saw in the 2016 Olympic Games, Abbubaker Mobara came up against Neymar and, in all fairness, managed to pocket him. But it wasn't without a few profanities being spewed in his direction. Was it the same when you came up against Messi?
NM: Not with Messi, but with other players, even in the Greek league. For example, Olympiacos had a couple of Brazilians, and one was destroying every team he came up against. I made up my mind that when you play against me, you're not going to get a sniff of anything. And in the three years I played against him, that guy never scored a goal against us. Even though we might have lost some games, he didn't score. My goal was to ensure that I'm putting you in my pocket.
DF: Do you think good former players make good coaches?
NM: Not always. We've seen examples all over. Take Frank Lampard, a Chelsea legend, came back to coach Chelsea but didn't succeed. It's not for everybody. Success involves different aspects, such as understanding of the game, because not everyone thinks the same way. Also, man management, is also a key factor. If you don't have that you're not going to have guys dying for you and giving their all.
DF: But does it help being coached by Nasief Morris, who has achieved a lot? It might be a different story hearing information from a stranger than from someone of your calibre, who has achieved what he has throughout his illustrious career.
NM: Mostly yes, because they know where I was and what I've achieved and done in my career. But then, obviously, now there are newer generations coming out who don't know the legends like us. They have to Google and see: 'Oh, wow, he played against Messi'. So, when they see those kinds of things, they get a sense of what you're talking about. But that's why I said it also has to do with man management. If the guy doesn't know you, he needs to believe in your philosophy. They must buy into that philosophy. And as things go and if things work, they will increasingly buy into it. I mean, if I look at Cape Town Spurs now with me and Shaun Bartlett (you can see the) impact.
DF: What do you mean?
NM: I mean, the players bought into what Shaun brought and what he wanted them to believe in. It showed, for two seasons we were fighting relegation, and then boom, the next season we were promoted. So, that's what I mean by the mentality; the players believing and buying into your philosophy. It's about how you think and what you want to do. You don't have to be a (Jose) Mourinho; you can be a different type of character as well. I played with Shaun, so I only knew him as a player. This was my first opportunity dealing with him as a coach. Shaun is one of the most chilled coaches ever, you know. Yes, there are moments when you reach a boiling point and may shout at the players and stuff like that, but most of the time, everything is calm, cool and collected. We keep it simple, nothing over the top that could confuse the players, focussing on just the basic simple things.
DF: We saw via social media that you and coach Shaun would often get involved in the rondos and part of the finishing drills. What was the reaction from players when they saw you guys roll back the years on the field?
NM: Now, you also know that's another thing with the younger generation. They always react when we join in, and you know, there are certain things you're born with. For example, a first touch or a pass is second nature. So, when they see these kinds of things, they ask, 'Oh, coach, how did you do that?' But they had forgotten we played at the highest level. You know, they're still at the bottom. We played in Europe, in European competitions, World Cups. We always tell them: 'You can't buy that in Woolies'.
DF: Coach, lovely speaking to you, thank you so much.
NM: You're welcome.
