Former Bafana Bafana striker Katlego Mphela says consistency at club level is key to being successful for your country.
The 35-year-old former SuperSport United, Mamelodi Sundowns and Kaizer Chiefs striker knows all too well that South Africa has struggled to produced top strikers over the years.
Mphela may well have broken Benni McCarthy’s all-time Bafana scoring record had he not succumbed to injuries late in his career.
He ended his playing days in third place with 23 goals in 53 international games, with McCarthy netting 80 in 31 matches played. Shaun Bartlett scored 29 in 74 games.
Speaking to Kickoff, Mphela said: “I think it’s consistency you know, starting from your teams, all the matches you play before getting a national team call-up.
“You need to be consistent at club level for you to play in the national team and keep your position in the national team. You must score goals [if you are a striker].”
He added: “You also need a coach who is going to stick by you because national teams are not enough. Maybe in a year you don’t play more than 10 international games.
“So you need to utilise that and make sure you score goals in those games. If you can’t score against so-called small countries then it’s going to be a problem against bigger nations.”
