Tokyo 2020: Five South African footballers looking to shine
These five players have what it takes to strut their stuff at the Olympics.
Teboho Mokoena will be one of South Africa’s key men at Tokyo 2020. Picture: Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images.
The South African National Under-23 team coach David Notoane might have not been able to get all the players he wanted for the Tokyo Olympics, but he definitely has top talent at his disposal going into the tournament.
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South African are set go up against Japan, France and Mexico in Group A for a spot in the knockout stages of the tournament.
With less than two weeks to their opening match at the competition, here is a look at top five players that might be able to help the team get into a good momentum and come out with some positive results.
Luther Singh
Since his introduction into the national team set-up in the junior ranks, Singh has put up some top performances, and South Africa will hope he he can show off all his attacking skills in Tokyo. Singh has played overseas in Portugal for years now and his experience in the team will certainly be vital at Tokyo 2020.
Ronwen Williams
Picked as one of the overage players in the squad for Tokyo 2020, there is no doubt that Williams’ safe hands will be important for the squad going into this competitive tournament. He will bring good leadership at the back. After all, he has played in some extremely important games in his career and he is also a goalkeeper for Bafana Bafana.
Tercious Malepe
Malepe played at the Rio Olympics in 2016. He will be looking for a better performance this time around at Tokyo 2020 after the team finished the group stages ithere n last place. The defender is one of the most capped players in the junior national team having also captained the Under-20s.
Teboho Mokoena
One of the top midfielders in the DStv Premiership, Mokoena has been displaying consistent top performances for SuperSport United in the last few months, with a knack of scoring some beautiful goals, something he should be able to bring into the squad at Tokyo 2020.
Sibusiso Mabiliso
Kaizer Chiefs’ new acquisition from AmaZulu FC, Mabiliso is a standout left-back with good ball control who likes to overlap. He has speed and some silky touches, which is what is also required for a modern day defender. He will be able provide assists for strikers when he goes on attack.
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