Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Thabo Cele speaks about his Bafana Bafana hopes - 'With Amakhosi performing, it will be a natural step for me to get to the national team'

Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Thabo Cele has conceded that only good performance with his club can guarantee him a call-up back to the national team.

Although he has been standing out for Amakhosi, he was overlooked when Hugo Broos named his squad that took on Lesotho and Benin in the last World Cup qualifiers.

To get his place back with Bafana Bafana, Cele knows that he must work even harder for the Soweto giants in the remaining part of the season.

“What I have been doing is helping the team win games. With the team performing, it will be a natural step for me to get to the national team. It’s something that is my dream. But right now I have to shine where I am and win games to help the team,” Cele said as quoted by FARPost.

After Cele missed out when Broos named his final squad for the World Cup qualifiers, he was not even conceded when a chance to do so came up following Patrick Maswanganyi's withdrawal.

Instead, Polokwane City midfielder Ndamulelo Maphangule was summoned at the expense of the Amakhosi star.

Despite overlooking his players, coach Nasreddine Nabi asked for respect for Broos and said in the future, he believes several players from Chiefs will feature for Bafana. In fact, Nabi said being overlooked does not mean Cele is not a good player.

Cele, who joined Amakhosi from Russian side Fakel Voronezh, has been a shining star for his club, and should he continue doing well, he may as well find himself playing for Bafana soon.

With more World Cup qualifiers waiting and the 2025 African Cup of Nations (Afcon) finals coming later this year in Morocco, Cele has every reason to work harder and hope he will be considered for these duties.