CITY KEEPER FUTURE BAFANA STAR?
CAPE Town City’s Netherlands-born goalkeeper Peter Leeuwenburgh says he may be open to representing South Africa in the future as he considers it to be a second home.
The 26-year-old has been on the books of the Citizens since 2018. While it is not rare for European players to play football in SA, Leeuwenburgh’s arrival came as a surprise to many, especially considering that he is a product of one of the top clubs in Europe, Ajax Amsterdam, and had been capped by the Netherlands at youth level.
As he has only played for the Netherlands at youth level, he will be eligible to represent SA should he fulfil the criteria for citizenship.
“That is not something I’m really thinking about at the moment because that is still two-and-a-half years away. I’m still here and if there are no signs of a Dutch national team call-up, then maybe I will. Why not? My son was born in Cape Town. It has to come from both sides as I don’t want to beg them to call me up,” said Leeuwenburgh.
The goalkeeper has been a success in SA since his arrival. He has made the first-choice keeping position at City his own and is now widely considered to be among the elite shotstoppers in the Premiership. Even though he regards SA as being a beautiful country and believes its people are friendlier than in the Netherlands, Leeuwenburgh has made no secret that his desire is ultimately to return to Europe.
“In terms of life, I don’t want to stay here permanently. It’s important for me that my son also has his family around him when he gets older. But, I do always want to come back here when possible. In terms of football, never say never, but I would like to see if I can play in a top league in Europe,” he said.
With Bafana backup goalkeepers Itumeleng Khune and Darren Keet now over 30, Leeuwenburgh could potentially provide very strong competition to Ronwen Williams in the long term if the national team’s top brass are able to reach an agreement with him.