Former captain Aaron Mokoena dreams of coaching Bafana

Mokoena captained Bafana during the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, and he is now SAFA's Under-17 assistant coach and scout. However, he is actively working towards attaining the necessary coaching qualification to one day take over as the Bafana coach.

"With our experience [as ex-players] we want to give back, we want to educate and we want to be in coaching. I want to be a coach. I want to be a coach of the national team, that's why I'm busy with my coaching badges”, he told the media recently. 

“I still believe that what we say to these athletes, we speak the same language. And we'll be teaching what we've been taught. We need to have a proper method of bouncing back, which I think people like us are needed. We need to come back without our expertise and plough back", he said. 

Mokoena is working on his CAF C Licence coaching badge in line with CAF President Dr Patrice Motsepe's wish for all African coaches to obtain the CAF C license. 

Mokoena is adamant about coaching Bafana Bafana and envisions a future in national team management. He has set high goals for himself, hoping to make his mark at the international level, in hopes of guiding the 1996 Africa Cup of winners to more success.

"I don't see myself working at a club. I think we need to encourage boys and girls to think bigger: Representing your country, in any sporting codes. And thinking internationally, jumping the borders. I've always believed that to be the best, you need to rub shoulders with the best, and beat the best", claimed the former English Premier League centre-back