Former Bafana Bafana international Steven Pienaar has been named as Everton’s first official international ambassador.

The 36-year-old, who made 229 appearances for the Toffees, will be taking up an ambassadorial role that will see him focus on supporting commercial activities for the club and its official club partners, while also helping to continue to build the profile of Everton across the globe.

Pienaar represented Bafana Bafana on more than 60 occasions ― captaining them a handful of times ― and was a key player in their 2002 and 2010 World Cup squads in 2002 and 2010. Widely regarded as one of Africa’s greatest players in the modern era, Pienaar’s global appeal and recognition will help to further elevate the profile of the club on the international stage.

Speaking about his new role, Pienaar said: ‘I have felt enormous affection for the club since the day I first signed and I am both honoured and delighted to become an official international ambassador.

‘Everton Football Club is very special to me and I look forward to further developing our unique bond in my new role and helping to spread the word of its fantastic work. This is a very proud day for me and I am delighted to be returning to a club that made me feel so welcome as a player.’

Over the course of his career, Pienaar has managed to score a total of 45 goals and assisted a further 73 from 440 appearances in all competitions playing for the likes of Ajax Cape Town, Ajax Amsterdam, Borussia Dortmund, Everton, Tottenham Hotspur, Sunderland and Bidvest Wits before retiring from football in February 2018.

Photo: Everton Twitter