Cape Town - Plenty on South African social media have been calling for Gaston Sirino to be added to the Bafana Bafana setup after news emerged this week that the Uruguayan is now eligible to represent South Africa in international competition.
The 31-year-old from Montevideo has never represented Uruguay in international competition, meaning that he can play for Bafana as per FIFA rules. Since joining Sundowns from Bolivar in 2018, he has gone on to become a reliable performer in the top-flight.
Bafana Bafana fans cannot really expect Sirino to work wonders for the national team should Hugo Broos decide to try him out but he could still add value on and off the field. It will probably be a risk worth taking for Broos and company as they prepare to navigate Bafana Bafana to the next Africa Cup of Nations which will take place in the Ivory Coast next January and February.
While other foreign born players with South African ancestry have played for Bafana Bafana, mostly without making an impact, Sirino stands more of a chance of being impactful given that he is familiar with the style and way of thinking of South African footballers. Other foreign born players mostly were unsuccessful as a result of failing to adapt to the culture of the team.
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Today, we look at some other foreign born players who played for Bafana.
Bongani Khumalo
Perhaps the most successful foreign born player to play for Bafana Bafana, the former national team captain was born in Eswatini, moving to South Africa at an early age before coming through the ranks at the University of Pretoria.
Khumalo helped SuperSport United famously win three consecutive league titles under Gavin Hunt, earning a move to Tottenham Hotspur in the process, though he failed to make the cut at the English club.
He played for Bafana Bafana 42 times, captaining it at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations.
Lars Veldwijk
A journeyman striker, the Uithoorn, Netherlands born player showed potential in the Netherlands with impressive scoring records for the likes of Excelsior, PEC Zwolle and Sparta Rotterdam though he never quite cut it with a big gun team in Europe.
With no Netherlands call-up in sight, Bafana successfully sought his services in 2016. He went on to make seven appearances for Bafana, failing to score.
Now 31, Veldwijk has been on the books of South Korean club Suwon FC since 2020.
George Koumantarakis
The Athens born player is best remembered for playing a key role in helping Manning Rangers winning the first ever top-flight season in South Africa back in 1997, finishing as the league’s top scorer in the process. He also went on to win the Swiss Super League with FC Basel in 2002 but was never able to be prolific when on duty for Bafana Bafana.
Phil Evans
Evans is best remembered for a long-spell with SuperSport United. The Cardiff, Wales born player was mainly a fringe player for Bafana Bafana. He is however fondly remembered for his goal in the national team’s memorable 2-1 win over Mexico during the 2005 Concacaf Gold Cup which Bafana Bafana competed in as a guest nation.
@EshlinV