Former Bafana Bafana midfielder Teko Modise has revealed why he failed to perform at the 2010 FIFA World Cup on home soil.
Having been the face of South African football for two years, all eyes were on the former Orlando Pirates attacker ahead of the tournament. After a poor 2009 Confederation Cup, “The General” redeemed himself at Pirates and won the Footballer of the Year before the World Cup after a remarkable season.
Speaking to Josta Dladla on Izinja zeGame podcast, Teko Modise said he was miserable ahead of the tournament and that affected his performance for Bafana Bafana.
“The reason why people think that in the World Cup I was invincible is because people will look at me with emotions,” he said.
“They wanted to see a shibobo. We were playing Mexico, and they (Mexican players) are playing in Spain, La Liga.”
Teko Modise played 66 times for Bafana Bafana
“If there’s one thing that failed me in the World Cup was that I was the most miserable, most unhappiest person in life. Not in football, in life. So generally, in my personal space, I was in a horrible space. I wasn’t happy, and of course, the only thing that made me survive was playing in the World Cup,” said the former Bafana Bafana star.
After his poor showing at the World Cup, Teko Modise only played a handful of matches for Bafana Bafana under Pitso Mosimane. His form dropped, and he was benched by Pirates before making a high-profile switch to Mamelodi Sundowns in 2011.
He rediscovered his mojo with the Brazilians and went on to win a number of trophies. Unfortunately, his Bafana Bafana career never recovered after 2010, and Teko Modise finished his international career with 66 caps with 10 goals.
What do you think Modise flopped in 2010?
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