New Zealand attacking midfielder André de Jong is hoping his contribution to Orlando Pirates' title push in South Africa will catch the attention of his country's national team head coach ahead of the FIFA World Cup.
De Jong - the son of former Fortuna Sittard striker Fred de Jong - became the first Kiwi to don the colours of Orlando Pirates when he joined from Stellenbosch FC in a move which was confirmed in early January.
The Buccaneers sit top of South Africa's Betway Premiership - ahead of Mamelodi Sundowns, who have won the last eight titles.
De Jong - who can play in various roles but has done most of his best work as an attacking midfielder or second striker since moving to South Africa from New Zealand's Eastern Suburbs - is gearing up for his biggest test in Buccaneers colours.
He is hoping that throughout the second half of the season, his exploits in South Africa catch the eyes of Kiwi fans and propel him up the All Whites pecking order ahead of the FIFA World Cup.
"I think it's massive [in terms of significance to World Cup selection chances]. I think this was one of the reasons why the move was so big for me close to the World Cup," de Jong told media, including ESPN, on Monday.
"Obviously, coming up to World Cup selections, you always have a couple of games in March back home, so I'm really keen to be involved in that," he added. New Zealand are scheduled to face Finland and Chile in friendlies during the last week of next month.
De Jong claimed that any player in the Premiership would be hoping for a national team spot and added: "Obviously, Bafana are in the World Cup as well, so I think it's lifting the standard of the competition as well.
"With Pirates, we've got nine players who were called up for AFCON and a lot of other people have aspirations to make the World Cup for Bafana. I think here, there's tons of competition and hopefully, I can grab the opportunity for the All-Whites."
Pirates had nine players in Hugo Broos' Bafana squad including Mbekezeli Mbokazi, who has since departed for Chicago Fire FC. Since the AFCON, they have brought in another player who participated - Zimbabwe's Daniel Msendami.
De Jong last played for New Zealand on Oct. 9 in a 1-0 loss to Poland and was an unused substitute in subsequent matches against Norway, Colombia and Ecuador.
A move to Orlando Pirates at club level has undoubtedly raised his profile. However, it has so far reduced his playing time due to the competitiveness of the squad. The 29-year-old came off the bench in wins over Magesi FC and AmaZulu, his first South African club, in his only two Betway Premiership appearances for the Buccaneers to date.
Wednesday's clash with Mamelodi Sundowns at FNB Stadium and the Soweto derby against Kaizer Chiefs at the same venue 10 days later provide perfect opportunities for de Jong to make his mark.
"My family definitely do [understand the magnitude of this period] and some of my friends. I hope that the media [in New Zealand] can get what I'm doing because it's obviously an incredible move with some massive, massive games coming up," de Jong said.
"As Pirates push for the league, then I think that exposure - hopefully, as I've said before - will get me into the World Cup team that side and pushing for future call-ups."
The former Maccabi Hakoah Sydney frontman is viewed as a somewhat unconventional attacking player in South Africa, as he does not neatly fit into any single position. However, Brendon Fourie - the head of recruitment at his former club, Stellenbosch - viewed him as a key component of the project.
"What we saw is that sometimes, we needed to not just be able to play on the counter all the time. Andre was someone that gave us something different - he's an outlet," Fourie told ESPN in 2024, when de Jong was still a Stellenbosch player.
"When you can't build up, when teams are sitting a little bit deeper, he can find a little bit of space. He can also run in behind. He presses a lot more than people think. He's not really quick, but he presses.
"What drew me to Andre was: he was the only forward, number 10 - or whatever you want to call it - that was above average for almost any metric that you looked at. Usually, when you see players like that, you think: 'OK. This is a player who adjust to what the game requires.
"If the game requires Andre to run in behind, he can run in behind. If the game requires him to drop a little bit deeper and link the play, he can do that."
De Jong has admitted that he is pinning his hopes on his versatility as a means to helping him contribute to a team stacked with in-form players - notably including Relebohile Mofokeng and Patrick 'Tito' Maswanganyi in the no.10 role.
"Obviously, I think I'm slightly different to the usual South African profile. I think that gives me a unique way to slot into the Pirates lineup - connecting play, one or two touches, moving the ball quickly," de Jong said.
"Then, obviously, having an eye for goal and getting in the box and finishing off things is also another strong point of mine. That's what I'll be looking to do and contribute to Pirates."