Sizzling Serero is a bright omen for SA

In scoring the goal that set Ajax Amsterdam on their way to beating Barcelona at the Amsterdam Arena, Thulani Serero put down a marker.

On Tuesday night, Serero, a son of the soil of Senaoane in Soweto, ended - in stupendous style - the long exile of a high-powered performance by a South African in a high-profile game.

This was no manga manga match against some Mickey Mouse side. This was a Champions League clash against the 1992, 2006, 2009 and 2011 European conquerors and two-time Fifa Club World Cup champs (2009 and 2011).

The significance of Serero's goal - a fine finish that set the tone for the match - can be found in the fact that the 2-1 victory broke Tata Martino's unbeaten run since becoming Barca boss in July. Boom!

That Serero is the sole South African shining on this megastage of football sticks out like a sore thumb. It is an indictment of our administration. Let me not allow that to distract from the celebration of a career we all want to see blossom into full bloom.

Being at the Dutch four-time European champions is a good omen for him. His is a continuation of a remarkable romance the Dutch club and their red-and-white Valentine's strip have enjoyed with South African talent. Serero follows in the footsteps of SA greats who've been schooled in the culture of de Godenzonen, or the sons of the gods, as the Frank de Boer-coached side are known to their fans. Bafana Bafana's top scorer, Benni McCarthy, cut his teeth at the club before becoming the only man from Oliver Tambo's land to win a Champions League medal. Steven Pienaar made mincemeat of a tough-as-nails Patrick Vieira when the shorty from Westbury bossed the midfield in a battle against the lanky fellow from France in a 2003 Champions League group encounter.

Aaron Mokoena, love him or hate him, was groomed at the Jomo Sono school of soccer and fine-tuned at the Holland club founded in 1900.

While Serero deserves the plaudits, it would be foolhardy not to caution against over- expectation.

While he's showed bullish moments of brilliance since switching from satellite station Ajax Cape Town to the Amsterdam parent club in 2011, there have been hiccups of progress-hampering injuries.

We also know that many a South African player has been hailed as the next big thing, only for them to cut off their noses to spite their faces.

No names mentioned.

It is abundantly clear that Serero possesses the potential to become a sparkling star.

If he strikes the right balance between fame, fortune, wine, women and song, Serero will enjoy more memorable nights and see his name in the stars for a long time to come. One hopes that Serero won't develop a supersized superstar ego that will relegate his commitment to his country to an irritating afterthought.

I've been piling up stashes of coffee in my house. Brazilian, Ethiopian, Ivorian. You name it, it's there. I figured if Gordon Igesund could sip coffee with Pienaar and down suur lemoen with Andrew Surman in England, a cup of fresh brew with Serero was on the cards. It turns out Igesund doesn't have to do this.

They've buried the tiff that happened before the Botswana World Cup qualifier in September. On Wednesday evening, on the set of Sport@10, Igesund showed host Thomas Mlambo and me a cordial exchange of messages between coach and player after the latter's awesome night in Amsterdam. Here's hoping the friendly against Brazil in March will serve as a late Valentine's date for Serero and Bafana.

@bbkunplugged99