Dutch-born Van Duivenbooden set to join Bafana’s ‘Foreign Legion’

Van Duivenbooden, a 22-year-old who plies his trade at the mid-table Dutch club Vitesse Arnhem, was named in Bafana Bafana’s 38-man preliminary squad for the upcoming 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

Bafana coach Hugo Broos will next week name the final squad to take on Uganda at Orlando Stadium next Friday (September 6) before travelling to South Sudan on the same quest four days later. If selected Van Duivenbooden will become the second Dutch-born player to be capped for South Africa.

Lars Veldwijk was the other Dutch-born player who played for South Africa.

Several foreign-born players have earned Bafana caps over the years. Goalkeeper Roger de Sa who also played and coached several local clubs, was born in Maputo, Mozambique.

Michael Rowbotham, who was born in Sheffield, England, acquired two caps in the early nineties. He played for Manchester United, Grimsby Town and the local club Wits University.

Former Bafana striker Glen Salmon was born in Harare, Zimbabwe. He is currently employed by Orlando Pirates.

The lanky Georgios “George” Koumantarakis was a fan favourite when he played for Bafana. The striker of Greek descent was born in Athens, Greece, but grew up in Durban. He later studied at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.

Gary McNab was born in Dunfermline, Scotland, and was twice capped for Bafana. After moving to South Africa, he played for Wits University FC, Moroka Swallows FC and Orlando Pirates FC. Once he retired, he became a physical education teacher in Gauteng and afterwards held various posts in the education department.

The former 10-times capped Bafana defender Philip Evans was born in Cardiff, Wales. He played for several local clubs such as Arcadia Shepherds, SuperSport United, Bidvest Wits and Thanda Royal Zulu. Probably his most memorable moment in SA football was in 2004. Playing for SuperSport, he scored the only goal in their win over Kaizer Chiefs in the SAA Supa8 2004 final.

Finally, there’s Bongani Khumalo who is no stranger to television viewers in South Africa. He is often seen alongside former Bafana defender Matthew Booth and the duo work as football analysts, offering expert opinions on SuperSport. He was born in Manzini, Swaziland, and has 42 Bafana caps.

He has played for a host of local clubs and had several overseas stints, including one with Premiership outfit Tottenham Hotspur. Strangely he remained with the White Hart Lane-based club for just over four seasons but failed to play a single game for “The Lilywhites”.