Bafana Bafana’s new hero, Thalente Mbatha, has spoken about his meteoric rise from being unwanted at SuperSport United to now playing for Orlando Pirates and Bafana Bafana.

Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos threw Mbatha into the fray in the dying minutes of the match to salvage a draw against Uganda in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers at Orlando Stadium on Friday.

The youngster did not disappoint, immediately hooking the ball with his first touch and sending it arrowing into the bottom corner to secure a point for Bafana and see the game ended 2-2.

Without that goal, the national team’s unbeaten home record in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers would have been in jeopardy after Uganda scored twice in quick succession in the second half to overturn their initial deficit.

But Mbatha proved to be Broos’s messiah, rescuing a draw. Bafana are now in South Sudan, where they will face them at Juba Stadium on Tuesday (15:00).

“Hard work beats talent. So, if you work hard, it’s definitely going to pay off,” said Mbatha.

“As much as we have the talent, if you’re not working hard, I think certain things will be lacking. But if you combine talent with hard work, then I believe you’ll go far.”

Mbatha joins a list of players who have scored on their national team debut, including Doctor Khumalo, Mpho Makola, Evidence Makgopa, Bongokuhle Hlongwane, and others. The latter duo achieved this feat in Broos’s first game in June 2021 at the same venue against Uganda in a friendly match.

However, Mbatha’s rise has been particularly astonishing. SuperSport coach Gavin Hunt deemed him surplus to requirements in the second half of last season, stating that he was never better than Siphesihle Ndlovu or Grant Magerman and was always injured.

But he has been a game-changer at Pirates, winning the man of the match award in the Nedbank Cup final against Mamelodi Sundowns in June.

Playing for Pirates has also given Mbatha his first taste of the CAF Champions League, featuring in the preliminary round. This experience has undoubtedly contributed to his growth.

“It has helped me a lot because I got to experience another level of football,” said Mbatha of playing in the Champions League.

“The Champions League is not an easy stage, and I think it’s going to help me with experience going forward and learning more about the football industry. It’s where I also have to push myself and remind myself that this is just the beginning.”