Eighteen months ago, Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos was critical of Cassius Mailula’s move from Mamelodi Sundowns to Major League Soccer (MLS) side, Toronto FC.

Broos, who shoots from the hip, insisted at the time that Mailula, who had very little PSL experience, was being thrown to the deep end at Toronto, where there were a couple of established forwards.

The Belgian was proven right when Mailula was shipped out to Morocco’s Wydad Casablanca in August 2024.

All is well that ends well, because Mailula (23) is one of the standout performers for the North Africans.

He has impressed with three goals and five assists in 18 appearances, and Wydad are believed to be eyeing a permanent move, as he’s on loan. Nicknamed ‘Cash’, Mailula was named Wydad’s Player of the Month for January.

Even more impressed is Broos, who’s strongly considering adding Mailula to the Bafana Bafana squad to play Lesotho and Benin in the FIFA 2026 World Cup qualifiers next month.

“You saw with Mailula? I think I said from the first minute what was he going to do in Toronto because I saw immediately that there were two ex-international Italian strikers and a striker from the national team of America; what was Mailula going to do there?

“Now he is at Wydad and plays because Rulani (Mokwena) is there. Maybe he can do the step later again to Europe,” said Broos recently.

Mailula, who hails from Ga-Molepo in Limpopo, would have gone full circle if he makes the squad, especially because Bafana Bafana will play Lesotho at Polokwane’s Peter Mokaba Stadium on 21 March.