Olwethu Makhanya's Fresh Start with Bafana Bafana

Olwethu Makhanya doesn’t hide it: the Hugo Broos era with Bafana Bafana left a mark, and not a good one.

The Rangers defender, widely seen as one of South Africa’s brightest defensive prospects, watched much of the national team’s recent journey from the bench. Even at the FIFA World Cup in June, when his form and reputation suggested he could play a central role, he found himself sidelined.

Now the landscape has shifted. Pitso Mosimane is in, Broos is out, and for Makhanya, that change feels like a release.

"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.

Those feelings didn’t come out of nowhere. During Broos’ tenure, one of the recurring flashpoints was his public criticism of Major League Soccer – the league where Makhanya honed a key stretch of his career. The Belgian questioned the standard of the American top flight, a stance that cut directly across the defender’s own experience.

Makhanya still can’t make sense of it.

"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 level. And he’s not shy about where it stands in his personal hierarchy of the competitions he knows best.

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

That order says plenty. The Scottish Premiership, where he now battles weekly with Rangers, sits at the top in his eyes. MLS, so often dismissed from afar, comes next. The Betway Premiership, South Africa’s own top division, follows.

For Makhanya, the debate over leagues is more than a talking point. It shaped how he felt seen – or ignored – by the previous national coach. Under Mosimane, he clearly expects the conversation, and his role, to be very different.