I was not even surprised - Cassius Mailula on Bafana return

Bafana Bafana forward Cassius Mailula says he was not even surprised to receive a national team call-up ahead of the crucial 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers later this month.

The 25-year-old attacker made his international debut in March 2023 in the AFCON qualifiers against Liberia, and had been frozen out since then, with his last call-up prior to the recent one dating back to June of the same year.

His exclusion in the Bafana fold came on the heels of a lack of game time after completing a move from Mamelodi Sundowns to Major League Soccer (MLS) outfit Toronto FC in July 2023 following a breakthrough 2022/23 campaign.

He was then subjected to a host of loan spells to Moroccan giants Wydad Athletic Club in August 2024, before spending the previous season at then-Belgian second-tier side KV Kortrijk in a bid to rediscover his form.

Mailula has since returned to Sundowns at the beginning of the current term, and hit the ground running with four goals in 11 appearances across all competitions, which caught the eye of new Bafana boss Pitso Mosimane.

“Obviously, for me I've always believed I belong in the national team because of the quality that I have. Even with the previous coach [Hugo Broos] I was called-up,” said the well-travelled player.

"Unfortunately, things didn't work out the way I wanted to because I was not playing at my club. And also, it shows that it doesn't matter who you are, you need to play at your club level to earn a call-up.

"So, for me now coming back home to South Africa to start playing more games gave me a lot of confidence that if you do well, especially knowing that I'm playing for a big club, if you do well you have a chance to come back to the national team.

With his red-hot form, the Sundowns academy product was not puzzled to see his name in the final Bafana squad, stating that he is well aware of the trust he retains from Mosimane, who is in his second spell as the South African national team coach.

“Of course, when I saw the list I was actually in camp, so it made me so happy to be included, especially with the fact that the coach knows me. He saw me when I was 16 years old, so that made me so happy,” Mailula added.

"I was not even surprised because I know that he believes in me, he also gave me an opportunity to be at Sundowns.

Mailula will be looking to add to his two caps when Bafana host Guinea at the Orlando Amstel Arena on Saturday,26 September, before facing Eritrea in a neutral venue in Cairo, where they will also lock horns with Egypt in a friendly match on 04 October.

Hlayisani Magoro

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Football journalist from South Africa covering African football news, exclusive stories and key events while sharing insights with passionate fans of the game.

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