‘Surprise’ may not be done yet: Kimberley’s Bradley Ralani linked with Orbit College move

BRADLEY “Surprise” Ralani has built a career on doing the unexpected, so perhaps it should not come as a shock that the Kimberley-born winger may not be finished with professional football after all.

Reports circulating online suggest that Ralani, who recently announced his retirement, is closing in on a return to the pitch — a move that would bring one of the Northern Cape’s most recognisable football exports back into the Betway Premiership spotlight.

According to information reaching KickOff, newly promoted top-flight side Orbit College are believed to be targeting the 38-year-old as they prepare for the second round of the season. While no official announcement has been made, sources close to the player indicate that discussions are advanced, and that Ralani has already been present at training following the league’s Africa Cup of Nations break.

A possible new chapter?

If the move materialises, it would mark a remarkable new chapter for a player who only months ago appeared to have drawn the curtain on his playing career.

Ralani officially hung up his boots in November 2025, with the announcement made by Cape Town City, shortly after he had been unveiled as the new head coach of Gaza United, a Northern Cape ABC Motsepe League outfit. That transition seemed to signal a full shift into coaching, particularly after a career that had spanned more than a decade across Europe and South Africa.

Yet Ralani’s story has rarely followed a straight line.

Born in Kimberley, he emerged from the Northern Cape with a reputation for flair and unpredictability — traits that earned him the nickname “Surprise” long before he became a familiar figure in the PSL. According to a 2018 profile by coach and scout Farouk Khan, the nickname travelled with him from Kimberley, where he was known for producing the unexpected on the ball.

Ralani came through the Stars of Africa Academy in Johannesburg, with an early association at Kaizer Chiefs, before leaving South Africa in 2009 to pursue a professional career in Scandinavia. He went on to spend nearly a decade in Sweden and Denmark, featuring for clubs such as Helsingborgs IF, Landskrona BoIS and Lyngby BK, including spells in Sweden’s top flight.

When he returned home in 2018, signing for Cape Town City, it marked his first appearance in South Africa’s top division since leaving the country as a young player. Further stints followed at Mamelodi Sundowns, Cape Town Spurs and, notably, Hungry Lions — a move that brought him back to the Northern Cape and allowed him to play in front of home crowds in Kimberley once more.

Local grounding and football intelligence

That homecoming resonated strongly in the province, where Ralani has long been viewed as proof that elite-level careers can be built from Northern Cape beginnings.

It is that blend of experience, local grounding and football intelligence that Orbit College are reportedly keen to tap into as they fight to retain their Betway Premiership status. The Mswenko Boys currently sit 13th on the table with 13 points from 14 matches, just four points clear of bottom-placed Chippa United.

Orbit have already moved to bolster their squad with seasoned campaigners such as Ramahlwe Mphahlele, and Ralani’s potential arrival would fit that same profile — a player with extensive top-flight and continental experience, capable of contributing on the field while also offering guidance in a young, newly promoted squad.

His dribbling ability, positional awareness and understanding of game management could prove valuable over the second half of the campaign, particularly in tight matches where composure and decision-making are decisive.

Orbit back on the training pitch

Following the AFCON-induced break, Orbit are understood to have resumed training on Monday, with Ralani present as preparations for the season’s second round gather pace. Whether that presence signals an imminent return to competitive action remains to be confirmed, but the very possibility has already sparked intrigue.

For a player nicknamed “Surprise” because he was never predictable, a reported comeback from retirement would be entirely on brand.

From Kimberley to Scandinavia, from the PSL to a return home with Hungry Lions, and now potentially back to the top flight once more, Bradley Ralani’s career has consistently defied neat conclusions. If Orbit College do succeed in securing his services, it would not only strengthen their survival push — it would add another unexpected twist to a story that refuses to end quietly.