Despite missing out on the Bafana Bafana squad that took part in the most recent 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifiers, Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Thabo Cele hopes to be part of the team to take part in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations finals to be held in Morocco.
Since joining the Glamour Boys in the January transfer window, the 28-year-old has been solid in midfield. It explains why the majority of the fans in the country were shocked that he couldn't even make the provisional squad.
The versatile and experienced midfielder now hopes to do enough to get a chance to play for Hugo Broos' team soon, but first, he has to help his club win consistently.
“What I’ve been doing is trying to help the team, and with the team performing and winning games, it’s going to be a natural, eventual thing to get a chance with the national team,” he told the media.
‘I'm trying to shine where I am'
“It’s something that; It’s my dream, so I’m just trying to shine where I am and help the team, and win games man, that’s the most important thing for us.”
Cele then explained how attached he has been with Amakhosi, “I love the club, like any other fan who loves the club, but I feel like there’s a connection, even when I was growing up with my friends.”
“One of them had a Chiefs jersey, and we’d be jealous of him, we couldn’t buy it. It’s a club I always loved and even overseas, you see these players who play for Benfica or Porto; they don’t hide that they love the club. It’s just natural for me to express the way I’m expressing,” he concluded.
Cele hopes to help the Soweto giants win the Nedbank Cup this season to end their decade-long trophy drought.
