Aaron ‘Mbazo’ Mokoena, the former captain of the South African national team, has argued against the potential inclusion of Brazilian player Lucas Ribeiro Costa in Bafana Bafana when he becomes eligible to play for them.
Mokoena believes that despite Ribeiro's impressive performances for Mamelodi Sundowns, South Africa should not consider selecting the foreign national.
He emphasised that the country is rich with local talent that deserves opportunities at the highest level.
Mokoena cited Relebohile Mofokeng, Mohau Nkota, and Patrick Maswanganyi as examples of South African players who are capable of leading the nation to success.
‘HE IS A FANTASTIC PLAYER BUT…’
“Look, with due respect, he is a fantastic player and he is doing well for Sundowns, but how many Ribeiros do we have in South Africa? I can name a couple now. Look at what (Relebohile) Mofokeng is doing for Pirates. (Mohau) Nkota for instance. What an exceptional talent. There's (Patrick) Maswanganyi. We do have talent in South Africa” Mokoena told Soccer Laduma.
“What I like about football is that everyone has a view, but for me to turn someone to be South African…l mean we do have a lot of talent.
“Yes, it would be good to have him, but let's invest in our own as well. We have young players who are coming through. Look at the under-20 team that has qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations.
“Look at the material we have in that team. It's always important to invest in our own.”
