Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso has pointed out the biggest hurdle for South African footballers seeking European moves.
The debate about the quality of Bafana Bafana players was sparked after the 2025 AFCON finals, as well as the recent back-to-back international friendly matches against Panama. Conversations about how South Africa players will match their 2026 FIFA World Cup opponents are ongoing.
Bafana are in Group A alongside Mexico, South Korea and the Czech Republic. Betway Premiership players dominate coach Hugo Broos’ side.
Only one player, Lyle Foster, plays in the Premier League, turning out for struggling Burnley FC. Other overseas-based players in Broos’ team are based in Major League Soccer, Portugal, Norway, Cyprus and the German Bundesliga 2.
That has further fuelled the discussions about whether South Africa has quality players to export to big leagues in Europe. Cardoso, who hails from Portugal and has also worked in Spain and France, has joined the conversation.
CARDOSO NOTES LATE DEVELOPMENT & OTHER BARRIERS BLOCKING SA PLAYER MOVEMENT
“South Africa has talent, everyone knows. What is important, obviously, is how to bring that talent abroad. We all know that the base of the football structure in South Africa is not exactly like in Europe,” said Cardoso.
“What do I mean by this? In Europe, the club looks for very young players because they always think about the business of reselling them. Even the biggest teams always think about how to manage the youth; it’s quite important.
“It means that in South Africa, we know that the talent appears a little bit later than usual in Europe. Sometimes the player can get out of the target for the biggest teams.
“The other thing that needs to be opened is corridors for business. I mean associations with the highest agents abroad that can also do business abroad. South Africa has players to export, I have no doubt about that. There are players that can be exported. To what level? I don’t know.
“What I also know is that many Brazilian players, for example, go to Portugal, and they don’t immediately sign for the biggest teams. They go for the second layer of teams, and then they have one or two years of experience.
“They show that they are on that level and then jump for the biggest ones. Speaking of Jayden [Adams] and other names, obviously, being on the edge could be a challenge for those kinds of steps.
“It’s not up to me to speak, but I think there is quality and talent in South Africa. Of course, it’s just a matter of finding the right way to take them.”
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