Tau turns 31 as Bafana seeks a World Cup return

AS he looks ahead to his 31st birthday, it might be judicious for Percy Tau to approach his current Bafana Bafana involvement as one of his last chances to stamp his legend status.

Tau, the Emalahleni-born football star, will turn 31 on May 13. He made a return into coach Hugo Broos’ squad after a year's absence, which was due to his lack of game time during his last year with Egyptian giants Al Ahly.

He has since moved to Qatar where he has been getting some commendable game time with Qatar SC.

Tau, the one with a dangerous left foot, has over the past decade or so been among the main shining stars of South African football.

As a matter of fact, maybe only Themba Zwane can give Tau a run for his money as the contender of the South African footballer of the decade.

What gives Tau an extra star opposite his name, is his offshore escapades in recent years. Those of course started with the English Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion who priced him out of Mamelodi Sundowns with a South African record transfer fee in 2018.

At 31 a player of Tau’s calibre; a three-time Caf Champions League winner, a two-time Caf Super Cup winner with a long list and cabinet full of domestic titles be it from South Africa, Belgium or Egypt, we should not be talking about his last years with the national side.

But, this South Africa and the list of national team players who continue to represent Bafana to their mid thirties is not very long, and for different reasons.

What brings this challenge of stamping his legend status with Bafana for Tau is;

Tau, the Lion of Judah, having made his international debut under Ephraim “Shakes” Mashaba in 2015 at 21 years old, so far has only last year’s Africa Cup of Nations bronze medal to show for his decade-long involvement with the national side.

Now, a player of Tau’s name, who blazed into the international scene and climbed up so quickly the goal-scoring charts with the national side, should be well over 50 caps as he looks ahead to his 10th-year anniversary in that space.

Tau stands at 46 Bafana caps with 15 international goals. His last goal was against Namibia in January 2024. Only he and Zwane are still active players in the top 10 of all-time Bafana leading goalscorers.

In that list, only Tokelo Rantie might have achieved less even though in his 41 caps he scored 12 goals.

In that list, only Rantie, along with Zwane and Tau, are the only players to have never played in the World Cup.

So, it really would help Tau’s status to pull up his socks and his goal scoring boots and help Bafana qualify for the 2026 Fifa World Cup and that has to start with the two upcoming friendlies against Lesotho and Benin.

While playing in the World Cup has never been officially declared as a merger of legendary status but reality remains that it, the global football showpiece, is the grandest football stage in the universe.

And so, even with what he has achieved during his career, it would remain an unremovable stain in his incredible journey should Tau join the long list of those who never wore the World Cup jersey.