Opinion Sport

Wing is flying: Khayelitsha Star Mihlali Mayambela ready to take Bafana chance

Sizwe Mbebe|Published

MAIDEN CALLUP: Mihlali Mayambela

Khalsha Phakama sinibone (Khayelitsha stand up let’s see you), your son Mihlali Mayambela is finally an international player!

The 26-year-old winger is one of the new faces called up to the Bafana Bafana squad by coach Hugo Broos for their two friendly matches set to be played over the next 10 days.

Bafana are on a rebuild following the disappointment of missing out on qualifying for the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Broos was heavily criticised after the team was outclassed 5-0 by France in March, so he decided to pick more modest opponents in the 113-ranked West Africans Sierra Leone, and neighbours Botswana, who are currently the 146th best team in the world.

INSPIRATION: Brother Mark Mayambela,

And Mayambela is part of a new direction being taken by Broos with the national team, which the player describes as “positive and motivating” as a new recruit.

He tells the Daily Voice: “The reception has been top since I arrived. It’s been unlike all the negative things you hear being said about the national team. I have teammates that get regular call ups for their countries as well, and they too often complain about their national teams.

“But for me, it’s been great. From the people who picked me up from the airport up to now, everything has been positive, it’s been really motivating. I also know a lot of the guys, so it’s like a reunion, which has been comforting.”

He left South Africa as a teenager while he was still on the books of Cape Town All Stars and has since made stops in Sweden, Portugal, Israel before Cyprus where he turns out for Aris Limassol.

He didn’t have to look too far for football inspiration as his older brother Mark was a star performer in the PSL and possibly ranks up there as one of the country’s fan-favourites of his generation.

The national calls didn’t come for Mark, and it seemed Mihlali might have to also forget about ever being invited to impress in national colours as well.

He adds: “I didn’t give up, I never gave up hope. “It was not something that I would drive myself crazy about as much as I used to when I was younger, but I never gave up hope that my chance would come. It’s every player’s dream to represent their country.

“There are a lot of good players who deserve to be here, so I was understanding of the situation. I just always stayed positive with a pure heart for the guys who were selected. I always wished those who were selected well and always supported the national team.”

There are only three players over 30, two of those being two goalkeepers and team captains Ronwen Williams and Veli Mothwa, and defender Innocent Maela.

Mayambela is one of seven players that are yet to earn a national cap, but the winger says he has felt at home since he is familiar with a lot of the players in the squad.

Of gelling with the squad, he says: “Yaya [Sphephelo Sithole] I know very well because we played together in Portugal, but I also there are a lot of other guys that I know when I played here in Jozi and at [Cape Town] All Stars as well.”

The confirmation of his call-up ended what had been a two-week nervous wait for the confirmation. It’s completely understandable that he would be anxious, following many disappointments of not being considered previously, even when he was the best player at his age.

The biggest let down for most Capetonians was when former U23 coach Owen da Gama ignored him for the 2016 Rio Olympics preliminary squad, despite his sensational display at the 2015 Bayhill Premier Cup and was the reigning Player of the Tournament.

The confident winger, who once told me he won’t rest until he represents his favourite team Real Madrid, says of his selection for the national team: “My job is on the pitch so I decided to focus on that and let everything else happen by itself.

“I received a message that I was being checked for the next national team, so I was worried for about two weeks since I was told that I was being monitored.

“I had a game that day, so I streamed the [squad] announcement on Twitter, and the connection cut before my name was called. I reconnected again but I’d missed the part where they called my name!”

He adds: “I was a little bit confused for a few seconds as they were going down the list of names, I thought they had changed their minds about me.

“Then the messages started to coming in, that’s when I knew for sure!”

One of those people who jumped for joy when he found out about the Bafana call up was his older brother and personal hero, Mark, who hopes he will do enough to stay in the mix.

The former winger who held cult hero status at Bloemfontein Celtic before it was sold to Royal AM says of his brother’s inclusion: “It’s a big moment for him, and it came at a time were he is also doing well for his team.

“He has been longing for this opportunity and I know he will do well. He has been consistently playing well which also attracted the national team to look at him.

“He now has an opportunity to establish himself as a national team player and for most South Africans to see him play.”

We’ll have to wait and see when Bafana take to the pitch at FNB Stadium against Sierra Leone on Heritage Day, and then Botswana the following Tuesday at the same venue.

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