Five overlooked players who could improve Bafana | Breaking News

Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has lamented that the standard of local players is below par. However, there are several players that Broos is yet to give a run. FARPost looks at five individuals who are knocking on the Bafana door with good performances for their overseas clubs.

LUKE LE ROUX

A former captain of the Under 17 national team, Le Roux has been making positive progress in Sweden since securing a move to Allsvenskan side Varbergs BoIs in 2020.

The 22-year-old made an immediate impact on his first season playing 20 games from a possible 30, only missing 10 games due to injuries and work permit challenges.

Last season, the defensive midfielder helped Varbergs finish in the top 10 in the division after managing 26 league appearances missing just four games due to suspension.

Le Roux has featured in eight of the 10 league games played so far in the 2022 campaign as he continues to prove his quality at the club.

On the international stage, the anchorman has played for all junior national teams, including captaining the Under 17 side and playing a key role in helping the Under 20s reach the 2019 World Cup.

THABO CELE

Another product of the South African junior national teams, Cele has been making strides since graduating from the esteemed KZN Academy in 2016 and making a move to Portugal.

The central midfielder joined third division side Real SC in 2016 and immediately established himself as a regular playing 24 games in his first season at the club before catching the attention of Lisbon-based giants SL Benfica who signed him on a long-term deal in 2018.

Cele made only six appearances for Benfica’s reserves before returning to Real on a six-month loan which saw him play 14 more games in the 2018/19 campaign.

Driven by a desire to play regular first team football, the midfielder made a permanent move to second tier club Cova di Piedade where he played 70 games in the three seasons he spent at the club.

After spending five years in Portugal, the 25-year-old moved to Poland where he recently finished his first season with top-flight side Radomiak Radom who finished in the top half of the table despite only being promoted back to the Eskstraklasa in the 2020/21 campaign. The South African featured in 13 league games in his first season with the club

Despite playing regular first team football for the past six seasons, the midfielder is yet to play in an official game for Bafana Bafana. He was one of the key players at the 2017 Under 20 World Cup as well as the 2020 Tokyo Olympics where he featured in all three group games as the Cosafa nation got knocked out in the group stage of the competition.

LEBOGANG PHIRI

Phiri has been one of the most consistent South African players in recent years.

The 27-year-old moved to Europe as a teenager in 2013 joining Danish giants Brondby from the Bidvest Wits academy. Phiri made 109 appearances for the Danish club which earned him a spot in the club’s Hall of Fame alongside some of the greatest names in its history.

After playing for four successful seasons in the Danish Superliga, the anchor moved to France’s Ligue 1 where he joined EA Guingamp in 2017 on a free transfer having left Brondby as a free agent.

Phiri established himself as a regular at Guingamp playing 78 games in the four seasons he spent at the club between 2017 and 2021 – although he got a career-threatening knee injury in his last season there.

At the beginning of the 2021/22 campaign, the dynamic midfielder moved to Turkish Super Lig side Caykur Rizespor where he made 16 appearances despite struggling with a recurring knee injury.

Rizespor have been relegated from the Turkish top-flight, but Phiri will be looking to move to a top division club where he will be guaranteed regular first team football in the upcoming season.

At international level, the Johannesburg-born star has made just eight senior team appearances scoring two goals in the process, his recent strike came in a 1-0 win over Sudan in a 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier played at the Orlando Stadium.

He was also a key figure in the team that qualified for the 2016 Rio Olympics although he did not feature at the tournament due to his club (Brondby) refusing to release him.

KOBAMELO KODISANG

Kodisang has represented the South African junior national teams at four different major tournaments.

The Rustenburg-born winger is one of the most exciting players now with his performances at the Tokyo Olympics an illustration of his capabilities in a national team jersey. The former Platinum Stars and Bidvest Wits attacker scored one of the goals and assisted another as coach David Notoane’s side lost 4-3 against France.

Despite the loss, South Africans took notice of the abilities of the little dynamite with his strength on taking on defenders and creating chances from out of nothing the most notable of his best attributes.

Having made his senior debut for Platinum Stars at the tender age of 15, Kodisang went on to make 19 appearances for the club before joining Bidvest Wits in 2017. He only made four appearances for the Students before moving to Portuguese third tier side Sanjoanense on loan for two seasons.

At Sanjoanense, the winger made 23 appearances scoring four goals before making a permanent move to SC Braga.

He has mostly featured for the reserve team at Braga, but he has made the bench on several occasions. In 55 appearances for the reserves, the 22-year-old scored 16 league goals, including his career-best 10 goals in the 2020/21 campaign.

GIFT LINKS

AGF Aarhus winger Gift Neo Links is another player who has been raising his hand making steady progress in Denmark over the past two seasons.

Links underwent his development at Platinum Stars before making a move to Egyptian side Al Assiouty Sport in 2018 where he featured 18 times in his first season abroad. After taking over the coaching reins at Cape Town City, then coach Benni McCarthy convinced the winger to return to South Africa to be a key member of his new project in 2018.

At City, the 23-year-old featured 35 times and scored five league goals before being bought by Danish Superliga club AGF Aarhus for a club-record fee in 2020.

Links has played 60 games in the Danish Superliga in just two campaigns so far.

He has represented South Africa in two Cosafa Cups, and he also got his first official game under coach Hugo Broos in a 0-0 draw against Zimbabwe in 2021.

The 2022/23 season will be Links’ most crucial season as he looks to take his game to the next level to secure a move to a bigger league in Europe. The charismatic winger will also be looking to get back into the national team fold towards the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast.

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