Liam Jordan has become the first footballer to leave a South African club and sign for a major European club since Thulani Serero went to the Netherlands five years ago. The under-20 international moved from Bidvest Wits to Sporting Lisbon after signing a deal on Monday night – just days after his 18th birthday.While Wits are yet to make any money on the deal‚ it has to be added that the South African under-20 international is on a one-year loan deal with an option for Sporting to buy him.A contract until 2021 is in place should this be decided.Jordan will play this coming season for Sporting’s reserves in the lower leagues in Portugal.SA’s footballers abroad a sorry tale of poor fitness and ill-disciplineSouth Africa has increasingly fewer footballers playing overseas and those who have looked the most likely to make a break through to one of the top five league do not seem to be making much progress. The signing is also the latest salvo in the long running squabble between Sporting and their hated rivals Benfica‚ who had Jordan on trial just over a month ago and were set to sign him but had been haggling over the details.Jordan‚ after helping Amajita to beat Lesotho and book their place at next year’s African Youth Championship‚ flew back to Portugal at the weekend and now that he is 18 was able to put pen to paper.The attacking player is the second major departure from Wits after Sibusiso Vilakazi was signed by Mamelodi Sundowns in the last fortnight.But Jordan‚ who had just seven minutes of cup football for Wits in domestic competition last season‚ was always determined to go overseas and had made that clear to the club.He has already been sent by Wits for trials at English clubs Sunderland and Manchester United‚ and at Brondby in Denmark in recent years.Mixed fortunes for South African players in EuropeIt was a mixed night for South Africans competing in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday with only two scraping through to the third qualifying round on a night of shocks across the continent. Jordan had been training with Wits’ first team squad from the age of 15‚ marking him out as a major talent for the future.Hunt described the son of former Bafana Bafana striker Keryn as one of the most exciting prospects seen in years. Jordan’s father died in 2013 after a lengthy battle with cancer.He was a member of the Manning Rangers side that won the first Premier Soccer League title in 1997 under Gordon Igesund and won a cap for the country against Botswana in 1999.He then moved to New Zealand where he played in the Club World Cup with Auckland City and was posthumously named the best player of the decade in New Zealand league football.Liam Jordan is South African-born but moved to New Zealand as a child returning at the age of 14 when his father moved back to Pretoria in his battle against the cancer. - TMG Digital..