Kaizer Chiefs emerging forward Mduduzi Shabalala has opened up on the experience during his European trials and explained what gives him the courage not to regard himself as a youngster.
Before he was promoted to the senior team at the beginning of the season, Shabalala already had overseas exposure after undergoing trials at Spanish side Villarreal and KVC Westerlo in Belgium.
The Amakhosi development product was reportedly meant to trial at either Real Madrid or Barcelona but those plans were scuppered by the Covid-19 pandemic.
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The 19-year old says he learned a lot in his trials in Europe and believes his game can develop faster if he were to move overseas.
"It was a good experience, I've learned a lot in Belgium and in Spain. Things are done in different ways, you can see when they play that things are done in a different way," Shabalala told journalists in a Soweto Derby press conference.
"We still have a lot of work to do as players in South Africa, we just have to stay focused and grounded. Those people are far ahead of us.
"If I can go there now, I can grow fast, my football can really grow fast," he said.
'Mdu or Die' went on to explain his attitude of refusing to be regarded as a youngster and says he's inspired by players such as Barcelona midfielder Pedri (20) and Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe, who won the World Cup at 19.
"It helps you to fight in the game and don't look down on yourself and always give your best, don't limit yourself because you can see now what's happening in football," he went on.
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"Look at your Pedris, so you're going to say you're a youngster until when? When the likes of Pedri are playing in the World Cup (with Spain), the likes of Mbappe, they won the World Cup (with France) when they were 19.
"So you're going to say you're a youngster until when? So you always have to give your best and fight for your position in the game," he added.
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