Aphiwe Buthelezi heading to the USA with the FC Bayern World Squad
Aphiwe Buthelezi, who was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the FC Bayern International Youth Cup, is set to journey to the United States with the FC Bayern World Squad to compete against top-tier academies from around the world.
Buthelezi’s standout performances at the inaugural South African FC Bayern Youth Cup, for u16 players, held at Northwood School in August 2023, earned him his spot in the South African squad that went on to participate in the finals of FC Bayern’s International Youth Cup that took place in October 2023 in Germany.
In the fourth edition of the international FC Bayern World Squad project, the class of ’24, representing the 33-time German champions, is going on tour.
Bayern and their partner Audi have selected u19 players from all over the world and presented them with an opportunity to live their dreams of becoming professional footballers.
AmaZulu FC extended their congratulations to the 16-year-old Buthelezi, who was in the Usuthu’s DStv Diski Challenge team last season.
The 23 players in Bayern Munich’s squad include Buthelezi, from South Africa, and three more African players – Jeremiah Olaleke, Ifeanyi Ugah and David Emmanuel – from Nigeria.
The FC Bayern Youth Cup, which was introduced in 2012, is one of the largest youth football tournaments organised by a European football club. Bayern has termed it “the stepping stone from grassroots football to high-level performance”.
The Youth Cup is played in various countries around the world and has, over the years, attracted over 100 000 players from over 15 countries.
More than 20 players who have taken part in the tournament have either secured a professional contract or received a team call-up.
The aim of the tournament, Bayern has stated is for “the best players [to] have the chance to move within the FC Bayern pathway and be called [up] for the u19 FC Bayern World Squad, bringing them to the doorstep of professional football”.
Buthelezi was one of 10 talented young players who showcased their impressive skills and football abilities at Northwood School and were then selected to represent Team South Africa in Germany. Also in that group was Zethembiso Phenyana, from Northwood School.
In Germany, Buthelezi’s outstanding performances during the International FC Bayern Cup earned him the title of MVP, which led to his inclusion in the FC Bayern World Squad.
FC Bayern World Squad 2024
25 Maycon Douglas Cardozo (Brazil)
16 Sebastian Dabrowski (Poland)
6 David Emmanuel (Nigeria)
17 Sanjay Gerry (USA)
10 Minwoo Kim (Korea)
20 Gyeong-Bin Mo (Korea)
5 Gustavo Telles (Brazil)
8 Arwyn Walby (Wales)
11 Luis Ibarra (Mexico)
9 James Lackay (Australia)
Goalkeepers
1 Luis Patricio Gomez (Mexico),
30 Kristian Řezanina (Czechia),
22 Artur Vydarený (Slovakia)
Defenders
13 Aato Akanuma (Japan)
19 Tate Asante (Canada)
18 Jisung Hwang (Korea)
2 Ignacio Isla (Argentina)
24 Dawid Kalbarczyk (Poland)
3 Jeremiah Olaleke (Nigeria)
15 Nicholas Ontiveros (USA)
4 Ifeanyi Ugah (Nigeria)