Bafana Bafana forward Luther Singh is determined to make the most of his long-awaited return to the national team.

The 29-year-old was recently named in Pitso Mosimane’s Bafana squad for their Africa Cup of Nations Qualifiers against Guinea and Eritrea.

He returns to the national team for the first time in five years, last featuring for Bafana in September 2021.

Singh revealed that hard work, perseverance and belief kept him motivated during his absence as he waited for another opportunity to represent his country.

“It has been a long time since I’ve been part of the national team, but the dream was always the same. The goal was always the same: to work harder, work smarter and change many things for me to be able to come back and represent my country again,” Singh said.

“Like every footballer, you want to be part of the national team set-up, and I’m just grateful that I’ve got another opportunity to be here. For sure, I will grab it with both hands.

“We also need to be honest and realistic. The past few years, the national team has been doing very well. The players who were there represented the country very well, so we need to acknowledge that,” Singh said of his absence.

“But for me personally, it just motivated me to keep going and keep believing. I always had the hope and belief that one day maybe I would get another chance, and it happened.”