Out of his comfort zone, Fagrie Lakay is being tested at Pyramids in Egypt

Former Bafana Bafana attacker Fagrie Lakay has seen marked improvement in his game since he moved out of his South African comfort zone to Egyptian side Pyramids. 

Lakay, who also played for Ajax Cape Town, SuperSport United and Bidvest Wits, is part of the Pyramids team that takes on Mamelodi Sundowns in their Champions League group stages clash at Loftus on Sunday. 

Pyramids, Sundowns, Nouadhibou FC and TP Mazembe are in tight Group A where all the teams have three points from two matches and a win in this round is crucial. 

For Pyramids to get the much-needed away win, coach Jaime Pacheco will rely heavily on Lakay largely because of his knowledge of South African conditions. 

“It has been a good move for me as a player because my aim and dream has always been to play outside South Africa,” he said at Loftus as they prepared for the clash. 

“It is important for any player to go and test your qualities against some of the best and I think Egypt is a good league with good competition. Now that we have qualified for the Champions League, it is good for the team and me personally.” 

Lakay added he is happy in Egypt and players playing in other countries will benefit the national team. 

“It is a good challenge to test ourselves and I have improved since I have been here. As a player, I am happy to be part of this club and from here I can only go from strength to strength.

“I feel good to be part of the players who are playing outside the country. This can only be good for the country, it is an opportunity to show that we have the quality to compete and play among the best. 

“It is a game between two very good teams, we know it is not going to be easy. Being a South African, I think it will be good to play in front of the people of South Africa and my family. 

“So far, this week has been good in terms of preparation and training and we will be ready for the match. For me, it is not different from any other player, it will be an honour to represent the national team.

“I always want to be there, but for me personally it is not something to talk about or phone the coach. At the end of the day I just want to focus on what I can control, try to score in every game and continue to work hard and focus on what happens on the playing field.”