South Africa U-20 keeper Smythe-Lowe reveals favorite club in South Africa, eyes future move

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South Africa U-20 national team goalkeeper Fletcher Smythe-Lowe has said that he could return to the rainbow nation to play for Kaizer Chiefs, a club he supported as a youngster.

The Portugal-based 18-year-old played a key role in Amajita's historic U-20 AFCON triumph, the first for South Africa. His sterling performance earned him the “Goalkeeper of the Tournament” after they beat Morocco 1-0 in the final to lift the trophy in Cairo.

The Estoril U-19 goalkeeper said: "I supported Chiefs when I was younger and it's a possibility in the future [to play for them].

"Now for me is to go back to home in Portugal and rest for a week or two. It's always a possibility [to join big clubs] but I am only 18, so I have time to work hard and see where the future takes me. It's very important for me to work hard, stay humble because I want to play in the World Cup," Smythe-Lowe said during their rapturous reception at the OR Tambo International Airport on Tuesday.

Fletcher has also recounted how he ended playing football in Portugal despite not having much interest initially in becoming a professional footballer.

"I left SA during the 2020 [Covid-19] pandemic when my mom had a sabbatical, so we decided to go there [Portugal] for a year and see if it'd work for us because we had been there in the past. I was playing for Ubuntu in Cape Town [before leaving SA],''

"To be honest when I left, I wasn't thinking about professional football...I was just thinking about what's best for me and my family and then obviously, if you put in the work, opportunities come. I didn't really have this [playing professional football] in mind."

The young goalkeeper will hope to stay fit and competitive for the U-20 World Cup in Chile from September 27 to October 19 this year.