Maseko's journey - From setback to the World Cup

In an interview with the traveling South African media this week, Maseko shared that he had to seek professional help to be able to deal with this. Eventually, Maseko was loaned to Cyprus, where he revived his career, and today, he’s in a FIFA World Cup squad. 

"Personally, I have a very supportive family and I also went to a couple of therapy sessions here and there, and it's helped me a lot."

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At the 2023 AFCON, Maseko was not just a squad member but also scored a crucial goal against Namibia and was more of an impact player as well. To see himself out of the picture at club level, also derailed his progress with the national team at the time. 

In the Cyprus League, turning out for AEL Limassol, Maseko regained his scoring touch and provided a few assists. Playing against teams and players competing in the UEFA competitions, also helped him improve his sharpness.

As they prepare to face Czechia in the second game in the group stage on Thursday in Atlanta, Maseko has also emphasised the issue of physical strength against the Eastern Europeans, and he says during his time in Cyprus, this was another area of focus...

"I saw their game the other night and I noticed that they rely heavily on set pieces so that's something we have to be very cautious about. We must try to match the level of physicality that they possess."