Bafana Bafana's third-place finish success at the AFCON has largely being attributed to Mamelodi Sundowns' influence but there is more to it than meets the eye.
Bafana had up to eight players from Sundowns in the line-up in the majority of the matches at the Africa Cup of Nations and the way the team performed above expectations, it has generally being attributed to the Brazilians players transferring their abilities, the benefit of cohesion and team spirit to the national team, particularly after Masandawana won the inaugural African Football League.
However, Hugo Broos deserves huge credit for Bafana's transformation, looking back to the state he found the team at when he took over in May 2021.
South Africa had just failed to qualify for the 2021 AFCON and the transformation and the evolution that has taken place since then is immense.
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Bafana's last squad to fail to qualify for the continental competition under former coach Molefi Ntseki had players considered household names in the country back then, including Thulani Hlatshwayo, Keagan Dolly, Bongani Zungu, Andile Jali, Dean Furman, Kermit Erasmus, Bradley Grobler, Sipho Mbule, Rivaldo Coetzee, Ben Motshwari, Thulani Serero, Sifiso Hlanti and goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune.
It took a brave coach, with a vision to do away such big talent, as he laid a foundation with players not considered 'big name' and his first AFCON qualifiers squad announcement, in May 2022 was balanced, with the likes of Evidence Makgopa (who was at Baroka) Bongokuhle Hlongwane, Terrence Mashego (while at Cape Town City), Fagrie Lakay, Taariq Fielies, Goodman Mosele, Khanyisa Mayo, Nyiko Mobbie, Sphephelo Sithole, surprisingly featuring.
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And with the qualifiers stretching towards the new 2022/23 season, the squad continued to evolve and the Sundowns effect started to take over, as the Brazilians had nine players in the 23-man squad that did duty in a 2-1 win over Morocco in June 2023.
For Sundowns to have ten players in the Bafana squad in Ivory Coast was nothing new, the only thing that forced Broos to name the majority of them in the line-up players such as Monnapule Saleng lost form for Orlando Pirates while United States of America-based players Bongokuhle Hlongwane, Njabulo Blom and Cassius Mailula could not be selected, as their season was on a break since October last year, the situation was worse for Mailula as his lack of game-time at a new club in Toronto had already cost him a place in the national team.
And there was also the big blow of leading striker Lyle Foster pulling out of the squad for medical reasons.
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