KickOff can exclusively reveal that Cape Town City wonder-kid Emile Witbooi is being closely monitored by a Belgian Pro League side, among other European clubs.
Witbooi, 15, son to former Mamelodi Sundowns and the Citizens attacker Bradley Ralani, has emerged as one of the most exciting youngsters in the country after his breakthrough at the School of Excellence.
City reportedly beat competition from the likes of Manchester United and Sundowns to register the junior international on their books after they announced him as a new signing in January, then drafted him into their DStv Diski Challenge team.
Chairman John Comitis waxed lyrical about Witbooi after his signing, saying he believed his level was so good he could play for Barcelona.
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"It's not often that I get excited about a young player. I did so with Thulani Serero, I did so before that with Steven Pienaar, and I'm doing it again with this kid (Witbooi)," Comitis said on Radio 2000's Game On.
"I can't believe what I'm seeing when I'm watching him playing in the Diski. I think the sooner we can get this kid to a European club so that they can assess him, the better. He's got to go to a club like Barcelona, to be honest. That's the level at which I think he can perform in the years to come."
A scout of a prominent Belgian Pro League side has revealed, exclusively to this website, that they are seriously tracking Witbooi.
"Well, those comments are not really helpful for the development of the player," the scout responded when asked to comment on Comitis' Barcelona rating.
"I think that's a little bit unrealistic. From what I've seen of Emile, maybe later in his career, he makes the right first move to Europe, he does well and then maybe you can start having a conversation about that. But to go directly to Barcelona is very difficult," he said.
"We've been following him for the past six months. He plays slightly differently to everyone else in South Africa. We think we want to keep an eye on him for the next year or two and see if he stays on track with his development. But it's definitely a profile of a player we're interested in."
The Belgian-based scout also revealed he knows other European clubs are following Witbooi and he will come to watch him live later this year.
"Everyone is keen to see how he kinda progresses over the next year. Obviously he won't be able to come to Europe until he's 18, so it's not until 2026 essentially that he would actually be able to come over. So, until then, everyone is just kinda tracking him and I'm sure next summer, clubs will start inviting him over for a trial, to have a test of his level," he explained.
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"Towards the end of the year, I'll be coming to South Africa to watch him live and from there, if he kinda shows me what we've seen on the videos, then we'll look to initiate something (with Cape Town City) from that point onward," the globe-trotting scout added.
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