Simon van Duivenbooden Named in Bafana Bafana Preliminary Squad

Simon van Duivenbooden, a 22-year-old striker standing at 1.9 meters tall, has been included in the preliminary squad for Bafana Bafana by coach Hugo Broos. Van Duivenbooden is currently playing for Vitesse Arnhem in the Dutch second-tier league.

Born in Uithoorn, Netherlands, in 2002, van Duivenbooden is the son of a South African father and has numerous family members in South Africa. Recently, he acquired his South African passport and has expressed his willingness to represent the national team.

Van Duivenbooden joined Vitesse’s youth system in July 2017, moving from the youth academy of Alphense Boys Jeugd. After spending two years with PSV Eindhoven‘s U-18s and U-19s from mid-2019 to mid-2021, he returned to Vitesse to join their U-21 team.

In the 2021-2022 season, he made two appearances in the Eredivisie for Vitesse’s senior team. The following season, he played nine more matches, scoring one goal. However, during the 2023-2024 season, van Duivenbooden faced challenges with registration issues after a loan to Belgian club Patro Eisden was cut short due to injury.

During his absence, Vitesse unfortunately suffered relegation after finishing last in the Eredivisie, facing an 18-point deduction as a result of an investigation linked to former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich.

Despite these challenges, van Duivenbooden has been retained in Vitesse’s squad and has participated in two matches during the 2024-2025 season. He has an impressive record of 24 goals in 35 games for Vitesse’s U-21s and a total of 49 goals in 75 matches across all levels for the club.

Hugo Broos has named a 38-player preliminary squad for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations Group K qualifiers against Uganda, scheduled for September 6 at Orlando Stadium, and an away match against South Sudan on September 10.