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AEL Limassol forward Luther Singh says he never gave up hope of returning to the national team setup after being overlooked by former Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos for five years.
The 29-year-old revealed that his prolonged absence from the national team motivated him to work harder in his bid to earn another call-up.
Singh has made 13 appearances for Bafana Bafana, scoring three goals. His last appearance came on 3 September 2021, when South Africa played to a goalless draw against Zimbabwe in a 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier.
“It has been a long time since I’ve been part of the national team, but the dream was always the same. The goal was always the same: to work harder, work smarter and change many things for me to be able to come back and represent my country again,” he said in a press conference on Monday.
“Like every footballer, you want to be part of the national team set-up, and I’m just grateful that I’ve got another opportunity to be here. For sure, I will grab it with both hands.”
“But for me personally, it just motivated me to keep going and keep believing. I always had the hope and belief that one day maybe I would get another chance, and it happened.”
New Bafana head coach, Pitso Mosimane, heaped praise on Singh when he included him in his 30-member squad that will take on Guinea on Saturday at Orlando Amstel Arena before travelling to Cairo to face Eritrea on September 30 and close off with a friendly match against Egypt on 4 October.
“He can play on the left and the right. He is powerful, mature and strong. We want players who score and can assist, and I think he is hungry. So we will give him a chance,” Mosimane said during the squad announcement.
Singh said he will not struggle to integrate into the team as he is surrounded by familiar faces. He is reuniting with several players that he had played with in the Bafana squad.
“I’ve played with many of the players before, and I know everyone in the team, so it is easy to come back in because I’ve shared a dressing room with many of them before. I know the quality of the players, and I know how they play,” he continued.
“It’s good to come into an environment that you already know and have been part of before. The culture is always the same in the national team, so for me it’s always nice to be back with them and all the memories come back of things that we have done before,” Singh concluded.
