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Johannesburg - MacBeth Sibaya is hoping the youngsters in the Bafana Bafana set-up extract some wisdom from his experiences in the yellow and green.
The 32-year-old has been deemed too old to represent the national team, with coach Pitso Mosimane admitting the midfielder does not form part of his long-term plans.
Sibaya was expected to be overlooked for the African Nations Cup qualifiers, but is in the squad to tackle Niger on Saturday.
Mosimane feels the veteran can inspire the likes of Kermit Erasmus and Keegan Ritchie and the Rubin Kazan destroyer shares this sentiment.
"I knew that some day I'd face a question regarding my age, not about how I play," Sibaya said when asked if he thought he would make the trip to Equatorial Guinea and Gabon in 2012.
"But it has never been about personal ambition. I only get a nerve when the team don't do well. I always worry more about the team.
"When I got here (into the national team), there were players like Lucas Radebe and Benni McCarthy already established. I learnt a lot from being surrounded by such greats. I hope it's the same for these guys."
The former Jomo Cosmos midfielder made his Bafana debut in 2001 and is tipped to break into the top ten appearance record for the national team.
Mark Fish currently sits in tenth spot with 62 caps, while Sibaya has 59 to his name.
The 32-year-old has been deemed too old to represent the national team, with coach Pitso Mosimane admitting the midfielder does not form part of his long-term plans.
Sibaya was expected to be overlooked for the African Nations Cup qualifiers, but is in the squad to tackle Niger on Saturday.
Mosimane feels the veteran can inspire the likes of Kermit Erasmus and Keegan Ritchie and the Rubin Kazan destroyer shares this sentiment.
"I knew that some day I'd face a question regarding my age, not about how I play," Sibaya said when asked if he thought he would make the trip to Equatorial Guinea and Gabon in 2012.
"But it has never been about personal ambition. I only get a nerve when the team don't do well. I always worry more about the team.
"When I got here (into the national team), there were players like Lucas Radebe and Benni McCarthy already established. I learnt a lot from being surrounded by such greats. I hope it's the same for these guys."
The former Jomo Cosmos midfielder made his Bafana debut in 2001 and is tipped to break into the top ten appearance record for the national team.
Mark Fish currently sits in tenth spot with 62 caps, while Sibaya has 59 to his name.
