Retired South African footballer Delron Buckley has pointed out how mental health challenges never stopped him to honour call-ups to Bafana Bafana, and that he used the occasion to rediscover his form.
Bafana striker Lyle Foster, who plays for Premier League club Burnley has been a hot topic lately because he was unable to honour a call-up for the Africa Cup of Nations finals due to mental health problems.
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Buckley, who first broke through for Bafana at the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France, featured 73 times for the national team and scored 10 goals.
"The whole discussion you've been hearing for the past few months is changing countries and going to play for different clubs and so on, we've been there," Buckley told Radio 2000's show GameOn.
"Sometimes when the national team calls you and then you go, it helps you with your mental issues because you get to see your family when you come here to Johannesburg to prepare for the Africa Cup, you get to see your friends.
"From my point of view, that helped me when I wasn't doing well at the club, wasn't scoring and they wanted to keep me I knew when I go back, I would see my friends my mom, dad and I knew that when I go back for the Africa Cup I'm going to be on top form," he added.
Buckley, who never played in the Premier League but was in the colours of German sides in VfL Bochum, Borussia Dortmund, Arminia Bielefeld, Mainz 05 and Karlsruher SC, says a lot of the overseas based players in their days wouldn't honour call-ups.
Being well-travelled, he understands the experiences of South Africans abroad. The legend also turned out for other European sides like FC Basel and Anorthosis Famagusta before calling it quits with PSL outfit Maritzburg United in 2014.
Foster's mental health struggles have not stopped him from turning out for the Clarets and the former left-winger believes this has the South African public feeling "fooled".
"There were players that would pick their games. When we played in the middle of Africa, they wouldn't come because of the weather and facilities we would play on.
"They didn't want to play on that, but when we played in South Africa, they would all come. But on this side, the fans they would see Lyle Foster play and feel fooled.
"And I can understand why they feel fooled because last night you played a game and you're performing, it's something you can't understand," Buckley said.
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