News24 | Why South Africans should believe in this Bafana Bafana: ‘We want to show the world’

Teboho Mokoena stepped into the Azteca Stadium and took charge like he has done at a many foreign stadiums in matches of consequence when he is flying South Africa’s flag.

The Bafana Bafana talisman dictated the pre-match conference, on the eve of their showdown with Mexico on Thursday in the opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, as he does at the heart of the midfield.

He even addressed the gathered international media in Sesotho and convinced Spanish journalists to ask him in English.

He wasn’t aggressive or disrespectful in his request for them to switch to English, but he was assertive enough that they understood and obliged him after delays in the translation service that were supposed to help Mokoena understand them.

In a way, Mokoena carried himself as he does on the pitch - exerting his dominance with a smile on his face and getting stuck into the things when he has been needed. Mokoena doesn’t instil fear in his opponents. Instead, he hypnotises them to bend to his whims.

Mokoena didn’t display the qualities of a player who is going to be making his debut at the World Cup.

He felt at home. Mokoena dismissed the pressure on Bafana - from their disappointing showing in the build-up matches, inexperience at this stage and being the underdogs against the hosts who will be backed by the bulk of the more than 80 000 disciples who will make the pilgrimage to one of football’s temples, the Azteca Stadium.

“As a team, to be honest, we are really proud of what we have done to take the national team here,” said Mokoena.

“We know that the feeling of playing in a World Cup is not a feeling that you can experience every day. All of us, this is our first time at the World Cup. It’s only coach Hugo (Broos) and coach Helman (Mkhalele) who have been here before, as players, now they are coming back as coaches.

“We want to enjoy the experience. Enjoying the experience means being competitive, seeing ourselves going to the next round.

“What I said to the guys during the week when we had a meeting is that, ‘We must enjoy the experience, but we mustn’t go home with any regrets. We must give it our all, so that when we go home, we don’t have any regrets.’

The lad from Bethlehem, with his devilish grin, possesses all the necessary skill set to silence Azteca Stadium. He has, after all, done it in other hostile environments - from Rabat to San Pedro and Lubumbashi.

His bullet stunned AS FAR fans at a packed Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in the second leg of the CAF Champions League final last month in Mamelodi Sundowns colours.

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