Mamelodi Sundowns attacking midfielder, Gaston Sirino, who joined the Brazilians in the 2017/18 season, has earned himself South African citizenship, which makes him eligible to play for Bafana Bafana.
The Uruguayan dynamo, has proved beyond reasonable doubt his talent since he arrived in South Africa, and his numbers back him up.
Sirino has appeared 170 times for Sundowns across all competitions, scoring 39 goals, and chirping in with 43 assists, that's 82 goal contributions in total!
With Bafana having qualified for AFCON 2024 in Ivory Coast, Hugo Broos would want to take his strongest squad to the tournament, to ensure that Bafana don't go there just to add numbers, but to compete.
Sirino, who is in his sixth year in South Africa, can be one of the players to strengthen Bafana, and his coach, Rulani Mokwena, believes the 32-year-old can add value to the national team.
"If he has the things [meets the criteria] and everything is possible I think he can add value, of course,"Mokwena said as quoted by Times Live. https://www.timeslive.co.za/sport/soccer/2023-04-11-not-even-a-discussion-mokwena-says-sundowns-sirino-could-add-value-for-bafana/
"But I don’t select the national team. That’s the hard part — there are so many good players in this country.
"I don’t even think if there’s a good player available it should be a discussion."
Sirino himself, has come out to pledge his willingness to represent Bafana:
"I have had a great time in this beautiful country. I love everything about it and if I get presented with the chance to don the national team colours I would jump at the opportunity, but the decision does not rest with me" he told Mamelodi Sundowns media department.
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"There is no player born in South America who has played for Bafana Bafana and if I receive the call I would be happy to represent this beautiful nation."
Talent aside, what else makes Sirino, a foreigner, a good prospect for Bafana?
Sirino's Caf Champions League experience means he is well versed when it comes to the rigors of African football.
He can hold his own against the best that Africa has to offer, having proven his worth with Sundowns on many an occasion.
Added to his experience, is his style of play.
When he joined Sundowns, he looked like he had been playing for them for years! That's because his style of play is aligned to that of South African players.
He is quick, blessed with excellent technique, he can improvise, which makes him highly unpredictable, he can create and score goals, which is backed up by his numbers.
Without a doubt, Sirino can add real value to Bafana.
But, would Broos be crucified for selecting him?
Probably yes, a lot of people would not be happy with Sirino's inclusion, and that will all come from a place of sentimentality, not logic.
The game of football has long moved towards globalization, ditching the tendency to attach sentimental value to national teams in favor of becoming more competitive on the global stage.
This has seen a lot of players representing countries that are not of their birth, such a trend has not really caught on in South Africa, where a lot of sentimental value is still attached to the game, to the detriment of progress.
While Broos would take a lot of flak for selecting Sirino, in a South Africa that is determined to be amongst the best in the world, such a decision would be welcome.
As long as Sirino is head and shoulders above the rest in his position in terms of talent and experience, and he is eligible to represent the country.
Which, by all means, he is!
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