Nodada’s Bafana call-up came late – Benni

Benni McCarthy believes the midfielder should have been in the Bafana Bafana squad a long time ago.


Thabo Nodada was included in the 25-man squad set to face Seychelles in back-to-back 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

“Believe you me, the kid is not going to play in South Africa for so long. He will go abroad because he is one South African player I can vouch for to make it in Europe,” McCarthy told IOL.

“I’m delighted for him to get the Bafana call-up, but maybe it’s a little late because the likes of him and Siphesihle Ndlovu (Maritzburg United) have been on form since the end of last year,” he added.

McCarthy says Nodada’s work ethic is what makes him a special player.

“There’s something about these Zulu boys. Their mentality and work ethic is second to none. He’s got talent, but he works effortlessly.

“When you put in that amount of work to improve yourself and better yourself, the only way is up. No one can be able to keep a player like that down,” he continued.

“Nodada is a very intelligent boy. He knows what he wants. He always asks me a lot of questions, which is tiring. But it shows. His performances speak volumes.

“I don’t mind answering the questions he always asks me because he always want to improve himself. He wants to work on every aspect of his game. He works on his weaknesses and strengths,” concluded McCarthy.

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