5 January 2015 – Kaizer Chiefs striker Bernard Parker made a timely return from injury to be part of the 23-man Bafana Bafana squad travelling to Equatorial Guinea for the CAF Orange Africa Cup of Nations 2015.
He last played for South Africa in the 5-0 loss to Brazil in March. The match was played in Johannesburg.
Over the next few months following that he was side-lined by injuries which also kept him out his club matches.
He missed the AFCON 2015 qualifiers during that period while he was working his way back into playing again.
He made his return to Bafana Bafana in the second half of the international friendly match against Zambia on Sunday, 4 January 2015 at Orlando Stadium.
He last played for South Africa in the 5-0 loss to Brazil in March. The match was played in Johannesburg.
Over the next few months following that he was side-lined by injuries which also kept him out his club matches.
He missed the AFCON 2015 qualifiers during that period while he was working his way back into playing again.
He made his return to Bafana Bafana in the second half of the international friendly match against Zambia on Sunday, 4 January 2015 at Orlando Stadium.
South Africa won the match 1-0.
“It feels great to be back in the team and thanks to the coach for selecting me and believing in me by taking me with the team to Equatorial Guinea. It is just an unbelievable team spirit that we have here in the team, the guys are just out of this world to work with,” said Parker.
“When the coach announced the preliminary squad, it was just perfect timing with me coming back from injury. I think I proved myself in the league that I am Bafana Bafana material and that I can help the squad. I am still as hungry as I was from day one. I still want to be the top goal scorer of all time in Bafana Bafana. You all saw the hunger I showed when I got the chance to play against Zambia after being out of the national team for a long time. I still want to be here and instill the pride back to Bafana Bafana.”
Bafana Bafana will face Algeria, who are ranked number one on the continent, as well as Ghana and Senegal at the AFCON 2015 tournament, but Parker is not fazed.
“The group is almost the same as the qualifiers where many were scared of Nigeria, but look what happened to the Super Eagles – this is football. The coach told us on the first day of camp that we have to believe in ourselves and put our focus on winning each and every game. The coach is calling us champions, and from the outside you can see that we are confident. I think with the positive mentality, the right attitude, a good fighting spirit and God with us, we can come out of this group,” said Parker.
The striker has scored 23 goals in 69 appearances for South Africa. His first goal was against Malawi in 2008.
Bafana Bafana are left with just one day’s training session before departing for Gabon on Wednesday, 7 January for a pre-tournament camp.
“It feels great to be back in the team and thanks to the coach for selecting me and believing in me by taking me with the team to Equatorial Guinea. It is just an unbelievable team spirit that we have here in the team, the guys are just out of this world to work with,” said Parker.
“When the coach announced the preliminary squad, it was just perfect timing with me coming back from injury. I think I proved myself in the league that I am Bafana Bafana material and that I can help the squad. I am still as hungry as I was from day one. I still want to be the top goal scorer of all time in Bafana Bafana. You all saw the hunger I showed when I got the chance to play against Zambia after being out of the national team for a long time. I still want to be here and instill the pride back to Bafana Bafana.”
Bafana Bafana will face Algeria, who are ranked number one on the continent, as well as Ghana and Senegal at the AFCON 2015 tournament, but Parker is not fazed.
“The group is almost the same as the qualifiers where many were scared of Nigeria, but look what happened to the Super Eagles – this is football. The coach told us on the first day of camp that we have to believe in ourselves and put our focus on winning each and every game. The coach is calling us champions, and from the outside you can see that we are confident. I think with the positive mentality, the right attitude, a good fighting spirit and God with us, we can come out of this group,” said Parker.
The striker has scored 23 goals in 69 appearances for South Africa. His first goal was against Malawi in 2008.
Bafana Bafana are left with just one day’s training session before departing for Gabon on Wednesday, 7 January for a pre-tournament camp.
By: Editor
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