How Kaizer Chiefs star 'got Clive Barker excited' revealed as defender finally earns Hugo Broos' Bafana Bafana recognition

Bradley Cross has been an impressive player for Chiefs, and his performance has been noted by the national team coach.

Brandon Petersen, Thabiso Monyane, and Mduduzi Shabalala are the other players from Amakhosi who are in the provisional squad.

Looking back at Cross' development, his coach at Mpumalanga Black Aces, Tony Dias, has described how the defender's Bafana recognition is important for them.

"To get that recognition is huge for us, as it provides a point of referral for our club," Dias told KickOff.

"It gives credit to the fact that the work we are doing here at the club is worth it. Seeing our boys progressing is what we strive for; it is what we live for as a development club after all," he added.

"We are not here to win trophies but to provide the path to move to professional football. Bradley had an all-around development, and it is showing in his game, especially for us who moved him from an offensive position to a defensive position at a young age."

Dias also revealed how Bafana's 1996 AFCON-winning coach was excited when he saw how talented and promising Cross was. Barker trained Cross and, at times, trained Cross and his teammates at the lower levels.

"I also remember the excitement in Clive Barker’s face when he first saw him during the time when he frequently came to be involved with our development after being moved from the first team," he added.

"What happened is that though Clive was the club’s technical director, he was fond of our development and would actually ask us to coach the boys himself on some days," Dias stated.

"Bradley was amongst the group that was sent through Clive’s hands, and they all loved the experience. It is always encouraging when our boys go on to play professionally and then get to be considered for the national team."

"We can easily tell the boys that we have now that Bradley was also once just like them as a 13-year-old at the club."

Broos' squad has always been dominated by players from Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns.

Previously, when he was pressed to explain why he kept snubbing players from Amakhosi, Broos cited their struggle last season as a key reason why he overlooked them.

“For me, for the moment, I can’t select players of Kaizer Chiefs. And I hope that they make a better season next year. Ok, they’ve won the Cup [Nedbank Cup], but I think that was the only highlight in Chiefs’ season. All the rest was not so good," he said.

“I don’t think… Okay, the supporters are very happy because they won the Cup, but we have to be honest, and I don’t have anything against Chiefs, but I have to be honest in my choices," added the Belgian. 

“And most of the time it was not good with Chiefs; it was not good! Otherwise, a team like Chiefs is not number nine in the log; they are number three, number two or number one.”

The Glamour Boys finished out of the top eight bracket last season.

The four players named in the provisional squad hope that they can impress further and be part of the AFCON squad.

It is not only about AFCON; next year, Bafana will be part of the 2026 World Cup participants, and that means there is more to come. Players, especially from Amakhosi, will hope that their individual performances impress Broos for them to be considered for the global bonanza.