Bafana Bafana midfielder Sphephelo Sithole has paid tribute to coach Hugo Broos following his sensational impact in the heart of the team since his introduction to the national team setup.
Sithole, who plies his trade in Portugal for CD Tondela in Liga Portugal 2 has also featured in the Portuguese top-flight, but his exposure to South African fans and other PSL players has been limited.
While this is no indictment on his obvious talent – he provided the assist for Bafana Bafana‘s goal against Nigeria and his teammates call him Yaya, after the legendary Yaya Toure, being a relative unknown did make it tough when he first fought his way into the side.
“I had to take my time convincing a lot of people while also convincing the coach and my teammates I could be part of this team,” Sithole said.
“It’s just, that people didn’t know — they ask themselves a lot of questions when you seem to appear out of nowhere. It’s normal — in South Africa, when people don’t know you and you’re doing something they don’t appreciate, they’ll be quick to judge you.
“But credit has to go to coach Broos for persevering with me and proving to people I did indeed belong in Bafana. My job is very simple: to help the team when in possession and in keeping the shape and winning possession when we don’t have the ball.
“I may like to go forward to the sort of stuff I did against Nigeria, but I have to listen to what the coach says and wants and what the game demands. In my position, you can’t always do what you want.
“You may think you can score a goal or two, but first and foremost you have to think about the whole team rather than yourself. To win, with any coach in the world you need to do what he asks you to. If he tells you to stay back and not go, just stay,” said Sithole who has become an ever-present feature in the Bafana mix since the African Cup of Nations earlier this year.
Unlike many other South African players who stay local and play in the PSL, Sithole moved abroad when he was just 19, and while it was tough initially, he says the journey has undoubtedly been worth it.
“It’s never easy to be that side alone. Sometimes you don’t even know how to communicate with people, but if you know what you want, you’ll stay.
“A player’s mind must always be free because when you have a lot of things going on your performance will be affected. It’s important to know what you want,” he said.
Sithole and Bafana Bafana take on Zimbabwe in Bloemfontein on Tuesday night.
Kick-off at 18:00.
Clip from our training yesterday; which was open to the public. So much ❤️ #BafanaPride #WCQualifiers pic.twitter.com/uBVhMyRJhR
— Bafana Bafana (@BafanaBafana) June 10, 2024
