Stellenbosch FC midfielder Jayden Adams says winning the bronze medal at the Africa Cup of Nations was the “biggest achievement” of his career.

The 22-year-old made two appearances for Bafana during the AFCON after featuring against Namibia and Cape Verde.

The Stellies midfielder says he was honoured and proud to have represented his country at the continental competition.

“If I’m not mistaken, I am the first person from Stellenbosch to have played at the Africa Cup of Nations so I am very proud to have helped the team win the bronze medal,” Adams told his club’s official website.

“I had a good first half of the season with Stellenbosch FC so to be rewarded with a spot in South Africa’s squad was incredible, and it was special for me to be able to represent my country, my community, and my club at the tournament.

“Winning the bronze medal on top of that was probably the biggest achievement of my career. Of course, I won the Carling Knockout with Stellenbosch and that was huge, but some of the game’s best players have played at AFCON so to win bronze was massive for me and for the country as a whole.”

South Africa claimed their best-placed finish in 24 years after finishing in third place in the AFCON.

“It’s very special knowing that I was part of this group,” he says.

“People didn’t expect us to go through to the knockout stages after we lost the first match, but we took it game by game, worked hard, and when we won the second game, we could feel the country get behind us. That was massive for us.

“In my first match against Namibia, I only played a few minutes but the experience of just being able to run onto that field and represent my country and Stellenbosch was a massive moment for me.

“Then against Cape Verde, with the game at the stage it was at, there was a lot going on in my mind when I came on but the players around me helped me a lot. They just told me to play my game because they believed in what I could contribute, and I was glad that I was able to do that.

“Throughout the tournament, there was an incredibly strong brotherhood within the camp and I learned a lot from the experienced players. The skipper, Ronwen Williams encouraged me a lot, everyone did, but he especially showed a lot of belief in me and I’m grateful for that.”

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