Bafana BafanaBafana Bafana legend Sibusiso Zuma has shared some wise words with England Championship duo Luke Le Roux and Tylon Smith, who are currently out of favour at their respective clubs.
Luke Le Roux has been a bench-warmer at Portsmouth, while Smith has been struggling for game time in the Queens Park Rangers senior team. In 34 matches, Le Roux has only made 10 cameo appearances, while Smith has mostly been on the bench.
While Smith was at the 2025 AFCON, he did not feature in any of the matches and was one of the surprise inclusions. Le Roux, on the other hand, was left behind by coach Hugo Broos. And as preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup are set to start with upcoming friendlies against Panama, Zuma said club game time will be critical for the duo.
WHAT THE BAFANA BAFANA LEGEND
In an interview with FARPost, Zuma, who spent significant time in Europe at FC Copenhagen between 2000 and 2005, and later played for German Bundesliga club Arminia Bielefeld from 2005 to 2008, said the duo must avoid falling too much down the pecking order at club level.
Zuma said: “After a week on the bench, the gap opens up with the players who are playing, even when you’re in Europe. So I’d advise them to adjust quickly and work really hard to get into the starting lineup.
“I think that’s the way to go. You need game time to remain relevant; there’s no science behind it. You need to play a lot of games for your club to come back and perform for your national team. There’s no way around it.
“They’re already overseas playing for quality teams. I’m really happy they’re there. So we’re not even supposed to be talking about them; we’re supposed to be talking about the players here in Africa trying to find ways of going overseas. As I was telling you, this is a game of small adjustments.”
ZUMA ON CHALLNGES THAT NEED TO BE DEALT WITH IMMEDIATELY IN EUROPE
The former Bafana Bafana forward stressed that there are a lot of factors that need adjustment in Europe for a player that comes from Africa.
“Once you’re in Europe, there are a lot of things. It takes a lot for you to start performing: getting used to the weather, language, culture, and your new teammates. And then learning to play and win with them takes time.
“I’m happy for them that they’re there; they just need to work hard, break into a starting lineup, and then the sky’s the limit. Mentally, it’s not easy. You’re alone overseas, not playing. But you have to remember why you started.
“For me, it was to get an opportunity to play overseas, so I didn’t complain about small stuff. I tried hard to adjust, make my teammates trust me, and get into a starting lineup. There are challenges, man,” he added.
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