The 2015 AFCON winner spent time at Naturena this week alongside club chairman Kaizer Motaung and his childhood idol, Doctor Khumalo – an experience he says left a lasting impression.

Speaking to SABC Sport, the 40-year-old praised the Amakhosi headquarters for its professionalism and world-class setup.

"I was really impressed by how amazing this facility is. It's great to see a team on the African continent with such a great facility.

"The youth programme that they have shows that South African football has a really bright future."

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Kalou himself runs a youth academy in his native country and says what he saw at Chiefs served as an immense inspiration.

He reveals that his brother, Bonaventure, was also a huge admirer of Bafana Bafana and Chiefs legend Khumalo.

"Growing up, my brother was given the nickname Doctor Khumalo because he had the same skills as Doctor. So when I told him I was going to the village, he said please get Doctor's shirt for me."

Kalou adds that the Ivory Coast national team of his generation often modelled their game on Bafana’s 1996 AFCON-winning side.

Rank	Teams	Points	Rating
1	South Africa	2860	124
2	Australia	3787	122
3	New Zealand	2336	106
4	India	3042	105
5	England	3658	102
6	Bangladesh	1916	77
7	Sri Lanka	1434	75
8	West Indies	2008	74
9	Pakistan	1623	71
10	Zimbabwe	217	17
10	Ireland	185	23
12	Afghanistan	62	10

Finished West Indies in New Zealand Test Series