EXCLUSIVE: Quinton Fortune urges Bafana Bafana stars to head to Europe after historic World Cup run

Although South Africa made history at the FIFA World Cup, the crucial next step is building on that momentum for the future—and according to Bafana Bafana legend Quinton Fortune, there is only one way to do it.

“To go through to the second round was huge. We spoke to the players live on TV when I was doing media work from Madrid. We congratulated them and told them, ‘You guys have achieved the most amazing thing for the national team, because we weren’t even able to do that,’” said Fortune in an exclusive interview with IOL, courtesy of Premier Bet.

Bafana reached the knockout rounds of a World Cup for the first time in their history. However, with the architect of that historic feat, coach Hugo Broos, announcing his retirement, the national team faced an uncertain path forward.

The SA Football Association (Safa) moved swiftly to secure a successor, appointing Pitso Mosimane to the head role just over a week later.

Despite the coaching transition, Fortune insists that the country’s top talent must now look abroad to continue their development.

“They’ve got to build on that now because, my goodness… I remember thinking when they went out, ‘Please God, let a few of these players now go to Europe,’ because that’s what South Africa needs.

“It’s great for them to be playing in South Africa—it’s a solid base to start from. But to truly test themselves and improve the national team, they have to step up. There’s a reason all the top players in the world are playing in Europe, and why they’re so successful.”

Fortune himself never played domestic football in South Africa. He moved abroad early in his career to join Tottenham Hotspur’s youth academy before embarking on a stellar seven-year spell at Manchester United during their glory era starting in 1999.

“Spain, Argentina, France, and of course England—all their players are playing in the Premier League, La Liga, the Bundesliga, and Serie A. If you want to be a world-class player, that is where you need to be playing.

“It’s the reason Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo left Argentina and Portugal. Even the great Ronaldo and Ronaldinho had to leave Brazil for Europe. They did it because they wanted to be the best and knew it was the only way to improve. That’s exactly what I want for this generation of South African players.”

@Michael_Sherman

IOL Sport