Sage Stephens had to choke back die trane van blydskap when he was called up by Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos for their African Cup of Nations Group K Qualifiers against Uganda and South Sudan.
Stephens is in line to make his international debut for South Africa at the age of 33 and says he couldn’t contain his joy when he was first informed of the call-up.
Bafana travel to Uganda tomorrow morning, before returning to the Mother City for next week’s final group match against South Sudan at Cape Town Stadium.
A win for SA in either match or draws in both, will be enough to see them qualify for Morocco next year.
Stephens says of getting a call-up to the squad: “The first person I spoke to was my wife. The reaction? Actually, I couldn’t believe it. Funny enough, as I said before in my interviews, I said the same thing, like, I can only control my performances.
“Ultimately, the decision lies with the coach and as we all respect, the coach has done a magnificent job.
“When I saw my name there for the first time officially, I was very emotional. I don’t want to say it aloud, but I had to choke back a few tears, you know, because it’s a very special moment for me, it’s a big achievement for me personally, and I’m just so grateful for it.”