SAB UNDER-21 Player of the Tournament Tyrone Mondi says he is honoured to be part of South Africa’s Under-20 national team – without playing for a PSL team.
The Free State born midfielder received his first international call-up to represent Amajita in the second and final leg of the Africa Under-20 Cup of Nations qualifier against Lesotho at the Dr Petrus Molemela Stadium on Saturday (3pm).
Amajita go into the game with high hopes as they lead Lesotho 2-0. Victory over their neighbours will see them qualify for the Under-20 Afcon in Zambia, which would give them a chance of qualifying for the Fifa Under-20 World Cup in South Korea in 2017.
The speedy 19-year-old winger played a crucial role for new champions University Sports of South Africa at the National Under-21 Championships in Limpopo last week. It was his outstanding performances at the tournament that caught Amajita coach Thabo Senong’s attention.
Mondi has tried his luck with two teams abroad. He had trials with Dutch club Feyenoord Rotterdam’s development academy.
In 2014 he won a scholarship from the international development academy of English club Bolton Wanderers. He stayed with Bolton for a year.
He said: “Being part of the national team means a lot to me. It shows that coach Senong believes I can contribute to the team. I will use this opportunity to help the team qualify and to make sure I become a regular in the team.
“I believe I will get more opportunities now. Bolton wanted to sign me but I missed my chance of playing in England because I didn’t have any national team caps, so it was difficult to get a work permit.”
Mondi is a first-year LLB law student at the University of Free State and plays for the university team in the SAB League.
