Durban — Bafana Bafana forward Lyle Foster has embraced the challenge of the two friendlies he and his national team members are about to tackle.
The South African national team take on Guinea on Friday in one of two friendlies and the other being World champions France next week Tuesday.
The 21 year old Soweto-born striker believes Bafana have a duty to catch up with the rest of the continent's best teams if they're serious about possibly reclaiming an AFCON crown.
"I am very excited by our opponents and the prospect of facing top class opposition. We have to bridge the gap between us and the African powerhouses if we are serious about competing," he said.
"The opportunity to be directly involved in these types of games gives us the opportunity to learn practically and gauge our progress as a team,"
The former Orlando Pirates man is having a decent season at club level in the Belgian second division with Westerlo.
He has managed four goals and four assists in 21 games this season, a sign of growth and maturity in his game that caught the eye of coach Hugo Broos.
"I was very motivated by the way Coach Hugo handled my call up, we spoke about the league I play in and he showed me that he has been watching me and knows what I can do."
"I've been in Europe for a while now and the difference in quality, competitiveness and professionalism is on another level compared to our local league," he explained.
Foster believes his teammates should be rubbing their hands at the chance to showcase themselves and hope for a chance to play alongside the best on a regular basis.
"Personally I want to compete at the highest level for a very long time and that's why I'm still in France trying to fight for my place every day."
"I think we can't afford to be starstruck by the likes of (Kylian) Mbappe, in fact we should want to play alongside themselves more regularly," he expressed.
IOL Sport