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Cape Town - Ajax Cape Town head coach Roger de Sa believes Urban Warriors and Bafana Bafana defender Rivaldo Coetzee can go far with the national team following his impressive performance on debut over the weekend.
Bafana won 2-0 on the day to go top of Group A courtesy of Bongani Ndulula and Tokelo Rantie second half strikes.
The 17-year-old man-marker made history when he got his first Bafana cap against Congo in the 2015 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers in Pointe-Noire last Saturday.
The Cape Town-born defender broke former skipper Aaron Mokoena’s record of making an appearance for the national team at a young age.
“Mbazo” made his debut as an 18-year-old against Botswana in a 2-1 COSAFA Cup win back in February 1999, under Trott Moloto’s reign.
De Sa told Sport24 in an exclusive interview on Sunday that he was not surprised by the young star’s performance as he has showed his true potential in the colours of Ajax.
“It was good to see him playing his first game for the national team,” said De Sa.
“He had a great game but I wasn’t surprised with his performance. I expected him to play the way he did and I believe he can go far.
“All he needs to do is to improve in every game he plays. He has always showed his true potential since he started playing for us about three months ago.”
Despite Coetzee’s future with Bafana looking bright, the 50-year-old tactician hinted that the young star must not be put under unnecessary pressure by being regarded as the next Lucas Radebe.
“South Africans are too quick when it comes to making comparisons,” De Sa stressed.
“Comparing Rivaldo to Lucas now would not be a good thing to do.
“I mean Lucas Radebe’s boots are too big to fill at the moment. Just let the young man enjoy his game without any pressure.
“If you score a goal for Argentina now it doesn’t mean that you will be the next Lionel Messi.”
Coetzee will be looking forward to get his second cap when Bafana meet the Congolese side in the return fixture at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane on Wednesday.
A new record is likely to be made again, however, should Shakes Mashaba hand the 17-year-old Santos striker, Fagrie Lakay, a run.
Bafana won 2-0 on the day to go top of Group A courtesy of Bongani Ndulula and Tokelo Rantie second half strikes.
The 17-year-old man-marker made history when he got his first Bafana cap against Congo in the 2015 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers in Pointe-Noire last Saturday.
The Cape Town-born defender broke former skipper Aaron Mokoena’s record of making an appearance for the national team at a young age.
“Mbazo” made his debut as an 18-year-old against Botswana in a 2-1 COSAFA Cup win back in February 1999, under Trott Moloto’s reign.
De Sa told Sport24 in an exclusive interview on Sunday that he was not surprised by the young star’s performance as he has showed his true potential in the colours of Ajax.
“It was good to see him playing his first game for the national team,” said De Sa.
“He had a great game but I wasn’t surprised with his performance. I expected him to play the way he did and I believe he can go far.
“All he needs to do is to improve in every game he plays. He has always showed his true potential since he started playing for us about three months ago.”
Despite Coetzee’s future with Bafana looking bright, the 50-year-old tactician hinted that the young star must not be put under unnecessary pressure by being regarded as the next Lucas Radebe.
“South Africans are too quick when it comes to making comparisons,” De Sa stressed.
“Comparing Rivaldo to Lucas now would not be a good thing to do.
“I mean Lucas Radebe’s boots are too big to fill at the moment. Just let the young man enjoy his game without any pressure.
“If you score a goal for Argentina now it doesn’t mean that you will be the next Lionel Messi.”
Coetzee will be looking forward to get his second cap when Bafana meet the Congolese side in the return fixture at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane on Wednesday.
A new record is likely to be made again, however, should Shakes Mashaba hand the 17-year-old Santos striker, Fagrie Lakay, a run.
