Meshack Maphangule was full of praise for younger brother Ndamulelo Maphangule, who made his Bafana debut in the 2-0 World Cup qualifying win over Lesotho.
The 25-year-old Polokwane City midfielder was a forced squad replacement for injured Orlando Pirates midfielder Patrick Maswanganyi and only played the last few minutes of the tie, but will be massively encouraged by the opportunity to take to the field.
Maphangule came on for Percy Tau after the result was in the bag after goals from Relebohile Mofokeng (60′) and Jayden Adams (64′).
Meshack Maphangule is a former Orlando Pirates and Chippa United midfielder and expressed his pride for his brother’s achievements.
He told FARPost: “I am very proud of him as his brother. He has done well for himself, and I think he is on the right track to achieve great things.
“I was really excited when he got onto that pitch. But my excitement didn’t just start on Friday but from the day that he was included in the preliminary squad.
“I encouraged him to keep pushing even if he didn’t make the final squad. He missed out before, but I am very proud now that he was finally in the actual squad and also played.”
“He has improved a lot, but there is also room for more improvement, especially in the position that he plays in [midfield]. I have told him before what he needs to work on, especially ball distribution,” he added.
“What I always advise him is to respect the game and to also respect himself, knowing that everything comes through hard work. Talent alone is not enough; it needs a lot of hard work. That’s what I always tell him a lot before we even talk about how he plays. I always tell him that he needs to listen more to the coaches.”