“You want to play against the best and see how far you’ve come with your development.”
You realise a lot of things at the Bayhill, it’s either you are on track in terms of your development or you have a lot of work to do on yourself. I played for ASD and we had many great players so it wasn’t really that hard for us, but just the experience was amazing, playing in front of massive crowds and, with the exposure we got, we really had to apply yourself well if we wanted to go pro,” he said.
The 24-year-old was also quick to note that his time at ASD Academy taught him most of what he knows about the game.
“That can’t be taught within one week, it takes years, they prepared me to perform well at the Bayhill.”
His message to youngsters who would like to consider football as a career is simple.
“Don’t let your surroundings define your future, there’s so much to live for, so much to do and so much to achieve, go all out on everything you set your mind to, it takes many hours of hard work, commitment and sacrifice and it’s all going to be worth it”.
Myataza, like De Reuck, took part in his second and last Bayhill competition in 2014. He was a goalkeeper for the Santos side that was captained by another current professional player, Fagrie Lakay.
“I have played two Bayhill tournaments and my best one was the one we lost in the semifinals. Even though we lost, having gone so far in the tournament gave me great exposure as a player.
“My experience in the competition was mind-blowing. I was a young lad from Langa, playing for Santos and inexperienced but, after that tournament, I realised that I am capable of making a career in football. The difference between the Bayhill and other tournaments I have played in is, without a doubt, the organisation and the formidable opponents you get to play against,” he said.