Several young South African players are making strides in some of Europe’s most prominent football institutions.
FARPost take a look at five highly-rated youngsters aged 16 and below.
LUCAS JETTEN – AJAX AMSTERDAM
Born in South Africa and left for the Netherlands as a child, Jetten has been going through the ranks at the Ajax Amsterdam Youth Academy for the past four seasons.
The 15-year-old is one of the most talented left-backs of his generation, which has resulted in him being scouted by the Holland under 15 national team coaches in 2022.
He recently turned 15 in June, but he was already a regular in Ajax’s under 16 development team – he scored four goals and assisted another eight strikes in the league.
Although he visits his native country every off-season, the defender is yet to be involved with South Africa’s junior national teams.
RILEY SWARTS – KRC GENK
The boy who rose to fame after the emergence of a clip of him playing with the ball on social media, Swarts first came into the spotlight while he was going through the ranks at Dutch Eerste Divisie side MVV Maastricht.
He quickly attracted the attention of Belgian giants KRC Genk, who roped him into their development system at the start of the 2021/22 campaign.
Swarts featured for Genk’s under 15 development team and scored eight goals last season.
The 14-year-old was born in Johannesburg but moved to the Netherlands with his parents a few years ago.
LEHLOHONOLO DAVID HANSEN – FC COPENHAGEN
Regarded as one of the brightest talents in Denmark, the winger has been quietly going through the ranks at the FC Copenhagen academy, where he now plays for the Under 16 development squad.
Hansen was born in Pretoria but moved to Denmark months after being born – he was adopted by Danish parents.
The 2021/22 season was the 15-year-old’s most successful campaign after scoring over 10 goals and assisting a further eight strikes in the league.
He can play anywhere up front but mostly prefers operating as a right-winger.
DANIEL JORDAN – AJAX AMSTERDAM
A product of the Ajax Cape Town academy, the attacking midfielder joined Ajax Amsterdam in 2019, and he has been making steady progress at the club – he now plays for the U17 development team.
Jordan had to spend most of the 2021/22 campaign on the sidelines after suffering a career-threatening ankle injury, but he is expected to return to action next season.
The 16-year-old mainly operates as an attacking midfielder but can operate in a much deeper role as well as a deep-lying playmaker.
THUTO MOJANAGA – PEC ZWOLLE
A product of the SuperSport academy, Mojanaga left South Africa after getting an opportunity to join the Zwolle academy, and he has been making a lot of progress at the club.
The defensive midfielder has quickly risen through the ranks of the Dutch Eredivisie side and currently captains the club’s U16 development team.
Mojanaga, 15, has also been roped into the Netherlands under 15 national team, but he did not honour the call-up, which was his first for the Orange Holland.
