Makgopa ignoring naysayers, playing his "whole heart" for Broos in Bafana's Afcon quest

Undeterred by public scrutiny, Bafana Bafana striker Evidence Makgopa is resolute in his commitment to vindicate the trust bestowed in him by head coach Hugo Broos.

The tall forward has quietly played a crucial role for Bafana in their Africa Cup of Nations campaign in Ivory Coast, yet there remains a stream of sceptics questioning the abilities of the Orlando Pirates striker.

He has troubled defenders throughout the tournament, won Bafana a penalty against Mali, which Percy Tau missed, assisted Themba Zwane against Namibia, kept Tunisian defenders on their toes, and calmly gave Bafana the lead with a cool finish against Morocco. 

But there are still those who would prefer someone else leading the Bafana attack.

Makgopa received his first call-up to the Bafana squad under Broos' management, stepping in for Molefi Ntseki as head coach, while the tall striker was still playing for Baroka.

Encountering challenges during his initial transfer to the Buccaneers owing to injuries, the ex-Baroka forward persevered, retained faith, and successfully worked his way back into contention at the Soweto giants.

In the absence of Lyle Foster and Lebo Mothiba, the 71-year-old Broos consistently supports the forward, and Makgopa has no doubt about whom he is playing for – not only for Bafana, but for Broos.

"You cannot force someone to love you, you cannot force someone to support you. For me, I think I just have to take it the way it is, play my football," Makgopa said during the press conference ahead of their Afcon quarter-final against Cape Verde.

"I have a coach who believes in me, the coach who called me [up to Bafana]. The people were already saying, why this player? So for the fact that coach called me, I'm here to do a job, I'm here to