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Cape Town - Tyrique Bartlett, son of former Bafana Bafana striker Shaun Bartlett, says his father never put him under any pressure when it came to playing football.
The 19-year-old is among 20 players selected for the Amajita squad to take on Brazil and England in friendly matches.
In the first clash, the South Africans suffered a 4-0 defeat against the South Americans on Wednesday at the St Georges' Park National Football Centre.
The second and final match of the three-nation tournament will be played on Monday, September 4 at the Harrison Park stadium in Leek.
Tyrique is currently on the books of the Newcastle United Academy in England and has never played for any South African club. This is his first call-up to any national team.
Being a son of a former football great comes with a lot of pressure Tyrique admitted, but reassured that Bartlett senior did not push him towards the beautiful game.
“From an early age, my dad never put pressure on me,” said Bartlett in an interview with the official SAFA website.
“He told me to go out there and make a name for myself.
“The pressure mostly came from myself because I saw what he did in his playing days, so I was hard on myself than he was on me.
“Obviously his love of football fell on to me as well, and I grasped it from a very young age and I don’t regret the day that I started loving football because this game has done wonders for me and it keeps on doing wonders for me.”
With being born in Switzerland, Bartlett can still play for any country having not represented the South Africa senior side yet.
“I am just a boy following my dream. I was never in any big academy or anything, I just used what was given to me and made the most of it and I am here today," he continued.
“All I can say to other people is that they should stay consistent in what they do and they should stay hungry in everything they do - whether it’s football, or being a family man, you can’t be satisfied in anything you do.
Bartlett impressed Newcastle United on a week-long trail and the Toon side tied down the player to a contract immediately.
Tyrique is aware of what he has done in his short career but has bigger plans and is not placing any limitations on himself.
“All I can say is I will not put any limits for myself because the sky is the limit and there’s nothing I can’t accomplish right now if I just stay focused, work hard and show my dedication and keep on learning from the people around me, whether it’s small things or big things - we can always learn from other people,” he added.
“The main goal for me is to play in the English Premier League.”
