'I hope the biggest teams in Europe come knocking,' said the former Bafana striker.
Siyabonga Nomvether believes Mbekezeli Mbokazi (pictured) can even play for Manchester City or Real Madrid. Picture: Gavin Barker/BackpagePix
Bafana Bafana legend Siyabonga Nomvethe hopes the ‘biggest teams’ will line up to sign Mbekezeli Mbokazi following his stellar showing at the 2026 Fifa World Cup finals.
Mbokazi only signed for Major League Soccer side Chicago Fire in January. But there are already rumours that a host of European teams are keen on his signature before the start of the 2026/27 season.
Mbokazi shines
The 20 year-old former Orlando Pirates captain earned rave reviews for his displays at centre back at the World Cup. Bafana were ultimately eliminated by Canada in the last 32.
“I am very proud of Mbokazi. He showcased his God-given talent to the world. I hope the biggest teams in Europe come knocking. He can play for the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester City, or even Manchester United. He looks very focused and settled well in Chicago. We are delighted to have a player of his calibre in the national team,” Nomvethe told sportsboom.co.za.
Bafana reached the knockout rounds at the World Cup for the first time. And they did it with a squad made up mainly of players who ply their trade in the Premier Soccer League.
“The number of local players in the national team demonstrated once more that there is talent in the Premier Soccer League. It is not even about the players that were picked by Coach Hugo Broos. There were still debates about players left behind who are playing in our league,” added Nomvethe, who scored the winner for Bafana in a 1-0 win over Slovenia at the 2002 Fifa World Cup in Japan and South Korea.
That was Bafana’s first ever win at a World Cup finals. They followed that with a victory over France in 2010 and another against South Korea this year.
Nomvethe believes seeing Bafana perform well at the 2026 World Cup will motivate all the players in the PSL.
‘There is talent in the Premier Soccer League’
“I was in Mexico City cheering Bafana Bafana from the stands for the opening game. Nothing compares to playing in the World Cup. It is the reason we play football. I have no doubt that all players in the 16 PSL teams harbour the dream of representing their country at the World Cup. This will raise the standard of the league going into next season as players fight for places in the squad heading to AFCON 2027 and the next World Cup in 2030,” he added.
“The number of local players in the national team demonstrated once more that there is talent in the Premier Soccer League. It is not even about the players that were picked by Coach Hugo Broos. There were still debates about players left behind who are playing in our league.”
