Orlando Pirates defender Tapelo Xoki says he’s fulfilled a lifelong dream after making his Bafana Bafana debut and will work harder to remain part of the set-up.
Xoki has been on the fringes of the senior national team since making a switch to Pirates from AmaZulu and upon becoming a regular at the Buccaneers, his chances eventually came under head coach Hugo Broos.
He started in the 1-1 draw against Andorra, which perhaps wasn’t the result expected, but the morale would have been lifted after the positive display in the 3-3 draw with Algeria, with both games taking place in the North African state for their inaugural FIFA Series.
“It’s been one that “I’ve been waiting for but I’ve had to stay patient also, it’s always an honour and privilege to represent your country, it’s every kid’s dream, and I’m grateful I;ve got to live mine,” Xoki said when asked by iDiski Times about his debut.
“So now I’m hoping to kick on with the guys – it’s been a great two weeks in camp, looking forward to more success with the squad.”
The 28-year-old stated it wasn’t a case of his debut making up for the AFCON squad miss, where Bafana secured a bronze medal in Ivory Coast, but rather him becoming optimistic that he was in Hugo Broos’ plans.
“I never looked at it as disappointment per se, I looked at it in a positive light that I’m very close, I was one of the guys on standby, which means I’m on the radar of the national team,” Xoki said.
“So I was grateful for that, now I’m looking forward to make sure I stick around the team and try and keep performances consistent at my own club, to make sure I get more call-ups.”
Xoki returns to domestic action with Pirates when they face Sekhukhune United on Saturday at the Peter Mokaba Stadium aiming to solidify their second place spot in the DStv Premiership.
