‘He’s not the most talented player but most important’: Hugo Broos
Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos has expressed his delight at Mothobi Mvala’s return to the squad, stating that while he may not be the most talented player, he is the most valuable member of the group.
Mamelodi Sundowns defender Mothobi Mvala has been sidelined for over four months due to an injury sustained during pre-season training. The injury forced him to miss the opening fixtures of the 2024/25 Betway Premiership season.
The former Highlands Park midfielder last featured for Bafana on the 11th of June 2024 against Zimbabwe at Toyota Stadium in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
In the absence of Mvala, Rushwin Dortley, Nkosinathi Sibisi, Siyabonga Ngezana, and Grant Kekana shared the responsibilities in the centre-back position.
Meanwhile, Broos has surprisingly dropped Kekana from the squad despite forming a solid defensive combination with Mvala. The Sundowns duo were crucial in the backline when South Africa won the bronze medal at the 2023 AFCON in Ivory Coast.
Mvala recently returned to action for Masandawana, making five appearances across all competitions and scoring one goal.
WHAT DID HUGO BROOS SAY ABOUT MOTHOBI MVALA?
After making the Bafana squad to face Uganda and South Sudan in the 2025 AFCON qualifiers, Hugo Broos has lauded the return of Mvala.
“First of all, I was very happy that Mothobi is playing again for Sundowns after being out for a long time. If you see the things he did in the past for Bafana Bafana, I’m very happy that he’s back,” Broos said.
“I don’t think he’s the finest and most talented player of South Africa, but he’s the most important. He was so important for us in the past games, it was also a loss that he was not there, for example in Congo [in the previous FIFA international break]. Mvala is a player who can help us in such games.
“So I’m very happy that he’s back and he played in the last games for Sundowns; he has the feeling of the game again, and you will see how important he is for us.”
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