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Johannesburg - Bloemfontein Celtic's Prince Olomu says it would be hard for him to turn down the chance of representing Bafana.
The 23-year-old Nigerian-born player has been plying his trade in South Africa since 2006 and will qualify to represent Pitso Mosimane's charges in 2011.
Olomu will meet FIFA requirements next year on residency grounds, although he would also have to apply for South African citizenship, which means he would only be eligible to play for Bafana at the end of next year.
The attacking midfielder has been one of the Premier Soccer League's stand-out performers over the last few seasons and he particularly came to the fore last term when he ended as the league's second highest scorer as he found the back of the net 13 times.
The former El-Kanemi Warriors, Enyimba and Free State Stars player has been overlooked by Nigeria to date and he revealed that he remains optimistic that whoever takes over the Super Eagles coaching role will call him up.
"With the new coach coming in and the performance of the team in the World Cup, it shows that there are a lot of positive chances with me to do well in this present season," he told Football365.co.za.
However, Olomu says that he would also seriously consider turning out for South Africa if he was called upon.
"Wow, this is a difficult question to answer, but we will see what happens. If the opportunity came, why not?"
Former Manning Rangers and Orlando Pirates midfielder, Clint Larson, who is currently Olomu's coach at Celtic, believes he would be a "valuable asset" to the national set-up.
"Definitely, if you look at local football in general, goalscoring is a problem and if you saw the season he had last season, he knows how to score goals," he added.
"He is very composed when he gets to the box and I think that is an attribute that a lot of strikers in the country like and I think if he was to play for Bafana he would be a valuable asset."
Platinum Stars boss and former Celtic coach Owen da Gama, who brought the best out of Olomu last season, reiterated Larsen's comments and believes he would shine on an international stage.
He said: "I think he knows South African football, he is a very talented player and surely he has the experience and pedigree to play at that level and there is no doubt in my mind he will be able to play at that level for South Africa."
The 23-year-old Nigerian-born player has been plying his trade in South Africa since 2006 and will qualify to represent Pitso Mosimane's charges in 2011.
Olomu will meet FIFA requirements next year on residency grounds, although he would also have to apply for South African citizenship, which means he would only be eligible to play for Bafana at the end of next year.
The attacking midfielder has been one of the Premier Soccer League's stand-out performers over the last few seasons and he particularly came to the fore last term when he ended as the league's second highest scorer as he found the back of the net 13 times.
The former El-Kanemi Warriors, Enyimba and Free State Stars player has been overlooked by Nigeria to date and he revealed that he remains optimistic that whoever takes over the Super Eagles coaching role will call him up.
"With the new coach coming in and the performance of the team in the World Cup, it shows that there are a lot of positive chances with me to do well in this present season," he told Football365.co.za.
However, Olomu says that he would also seriously consider turning out for South Africa if he was called upon.
"Wow, this is a difficult question to answer, but we will see what happens. If the opportunity came, why not?"
Former Manning Rangers and Orlando Pirates midfielder, Clint Larson, who is currently Olomu's coach at Celtic, believes he would be a "valuable asset" to the national set-up.
"Definitely, if you look at local football in general, goalscoring is a problem and if you saw the season he had last season, he knows how to score goals," he added.
"He is very composed when he gets to the box and I think that is an attribute that a lot of strikers in the country like and I think if he was to play for Bafana he would be a valuable asset."
Platinum Stars boss and former Celtic coach Owen da Gama, who brought the best out of Olomu last season, reiterated Larsen's comments and believes he would shine on an international stage.
He said: "I think he knows South African football, he is a very talented player and surely he has the experience and pedigree to play at that level and there is no doubt in my mind he will be able to play at that level for South Africa."
