Olwethu Makhanya's Fresh Start with Bafana Bafana

Olwethu Makhanya doesn’t hide it. The Rangers defender felt shut out under former Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos, and he’s glad that chapter is over.

The 24-year-old has built a reputation as one of South Africa’s most exciting defensive exports, yet during Broos’ reign he struggled to get anything more than a view from the bench. Even at the FIFA World Cup in June, when his form and profile suggested he was ready, he barely got a look-in.

Now, with Pitso Mosimane stepping into the national team hot seat, Makhanya sees a line in the sand.

"I saw the coaching change as an opportunity for a fresh start in the national team because I always felt like I was overlooked by the previous coach," he told SABC Sport.

That sense of being sidelined ran alongside one of the dominant themes of Broos’ tenure: his open scepticism about Major League Soccer. Makhanya spent a key part of his development in the United States, but the Belgian coach repeatedly questioned the standard of the league and its ability to prepare players for top-level international football.

For Makhanya, those comments never made sense.

"I never understood the criticism because all these people probably never actually watched the MLS. People that really watch that league will tell you that it's high level football," he said.

He has lived that journey. From MLS to Scotland, with South Africa always in the background, Makhanya has his own clear view of the levels he has experienced. And he doesn’t hesitate when he stacks them up.

"Honestly, if I were to rank them, I'll put the Scottish Premiership first, second is the MLS, and the Betway Premiership is third."

It’s a ranking that underlines his belief in the American game and the intensity of Scottish football, and it lands at a time when his international career might finally move in the direction he always thought it should. Under Mosimane, he’s banking on those leagues – and those experiences Broos doubted – finally counting for something.