South Africa U20 midfielder Michael Dokunmu could not hide his delight after making his professional debut in the Netherlands with Vitesse Arnhem.
The club, who suffered relegation from the Eredivisie last season after being deducted 18 points due to issues with the KNVB licensing regulations due to financial issues, started off the season with a 1-0 defeat to Telstar.
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However, the youthful squad featured two players now eligible for the South Africa national team with Kimberly-born Dokunmu, who was part of the Amajimbos squad from the U17 Africa Cup of Nations in Algeria last year.
The former Randburg and SuperSport United talent started in the 10 role behind towering striker Simon van Duivenbooden who recently confirmed to iDiski Times that he secured his South African citizenship.
It marked a special day for the 18-year-old who has been progressing steadily in the club’s youth system since 2020.
“Such a special day making my senior debut! Thank you for all the support and hopefully many more to come,” he wrote on social media about his debut.
Over the last couple of seasons with the U18s and U21, Dokunmu scored nine goals with four assists in 35 official games in the club’s academy system.
His debut arrived a day before Cape Town City teenager Gabriel Amato, one of his midfield partners at the U17 AFCON, was named in the first team squad that beat Sekhukhune United 1-0 in the MTN8 on Saturday afternoon.
They join the likes of Siyabonga Mabena and Luke Baartman to make their inroads into senior football since the continental showpiece in North Africa.
