It’s been on his mind, on his bucket list and what he has been working towards every day on the football pitch. He has pushed to be the best he can be, raising his hand and hoping that his name would be on the list.
And it came, 16 years later…
“This is really where I want to be, with the national team or really just playing football in general. So now that I’m here, I’m happy to see some familiar faces but also to be given the chance to prove myself to the coach and show him what I’m capable of,” says Supersport United midfielder Grant Margeman.
It’s not the first time that Margeman’s name makes it onto the list, but this time it’s not for the preliminary Bafana Bafana squad. “I was actually watching it on television along with my wife when the coach called the final squad, and the feeling was just unreal. I think my wife screamed louder than I did and it’s something we have both been wanting for a really long time. It’s also great to have the support of family, to spur me on.”
Margeman understands that in his position there’s tough competition, he also acknowledges that he would really need to up the tempo especially because the core of the team remains the same. “I know that I’m new in the set-up, that the team really retains its core and that the rest is up to me to prove,” says the 25-year-old.
Not short of experience and having played for Ajax Cape Town, Swallows, Mamelodi Sundowns and now Supersport United, this player’s fine form is reason enough why the phones keep buzzing at Matsatsanta’s HQ with overseas queries on this young talent.