Fortune urges South Africa’s World Cup heroes to move to Europe

Quinton Fortune has urged South Africa’s leading players to move to Europe if they are to build on Bafana Bafana’s historic FIFA World Cup run and take the national team to another level.

South Africa reached the knockout stages of the World Cup for the first time in their history, a landmark achievement which Fortune believes must now be used as a platform for continued progress.

“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,’” Fortune said in an exclusive interview with IOL, courtesy of Premier Bet.

Fortune, a former Manchester United player and Bafana Bafana legend, said he hoped several members of the squad would use the tournament as a springboard to secure moves abroad.

“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 Africait’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.”

South Africa’s historic campaign was followed by a major change in the dugout. Coach Hugo Broos, who was described as the architect of the achievement, announced his retirement, leaving the national team’s future direction uncertain.

The South African Football Association (Safa) acted quickly, appointing Pitso Mosimane as Broos’ successor just over a week later.

Fortune believes the change in coach will only be part of the process and that the development of the players themselves will determine whether Bafana Bafana can maintain their momentum.

The former midfielder did not play domestic football in South Africa during his career. He moved overseas at an early stage, joining the youth academy at Tottenham Hotspur before spending seven years at Manchester United from 1999, during the club’s period of success.

He said his own experience had reinforced the importance of competing in Europe, where South African players would face a higher level of pressure and competition.

“Spain, Argentina, France, and of course Englandall 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.”

Fortune’s comments come after a World Cup campaign which gave South African football its best result in the competition. He believes the next stage is for the country’s most promising players to test themselves outside the domestic game and help establish Bafana Bafana among the international elite.