Bafana Bafana forward Percy Tau may not be playing on the big stages of European football, but what he's doing for South African football at the moment cannot be ignored.
Many of us had high hopes for Tau when he signed for Brighton Hove Albion in the English Premier League and, when he left the club to join Al Ahly in Egypt a few years ago, I was worried that his career would not go so well. He had been to Belgium and done well there, so after leaving Brighton, I thought a move to France, the Netherlands or even Portugal would have been good for him, so that he'd have another chance at proving himself in Europe. But that wasn't to be, but when you take a closer look at how things are going now, it's all falling into place.
As he prepares to take part in the CAF Champions League second leg final against Wydad Casablanca, we can only sit back and admire what the Lion of Judah is doing in North Africa at the moment. Turns out the move to Al Ahly was not so bad after all and he has the opportunity to go down as one of the country's best ever exports, playing for arguably the greatest club in African football history.
After Pitso Mosimane left Ahly, it seemed Tau's career with the club was doomed. He was struggling with injury now and again, while competition for a place in the team appeared to be difficult. But you've got to admire how the former Mamelodi Sundowns player has bounced back and become a player they basically cannot do without. He is a beast and it comes as no surprise that Ahly are interested in extending his contract.
To think that some time ago, it looked like his time with the club would end in disaster, but he has the opportunity to become one of the club's finest ever imports and join a list which names such as Flavio, the Angolan striker who was adored by the Red Devils' supporters.
Should he win the Champions League with Ahly this weekend, the 29-year-old deserves to be honoured by the country for his incredible achievement on the continent with a club as big as Ahly.
Tau does not need to play in big European leagues to be considered one of the greatest exports in South African football. In fact, when we look at some of the exports at the moment, he is one of the few who are actually standing out and making a huge impact at a high level.
He is certainly earning that type of respect playing for Ahly in Egypt. And it has the potential to get even better with the Champions League second leg final coming up. I will definitely have my eyes glued to the screen to see Tau in action, especially after he scored in the first leg clash.
