KAMOHELO Mokotjo is ready to take Dutch, European and South African football by storm now that he's getting regular game time at PEC Zwolle.
As for world football, well, that will probably follow some time soon, too.
Mokotjo has been talked about for so long - since he captained South Africa's under-12s, the Tsetse Flies, to victory in the 2003 Danone Nations Cup in France - that sometimes his development has seemed slow.
But the defensive midfielder feels that he made the sort of progress a young player should during his season on loan to Excelsior, getting them promoted to the Dutch Eredivisie alongside Kermit Erasmus, then two more back at Feyenoord, under Mario Been.
The midfielder doesn't hide his belief that last season's coach, Ronald Koeman, underutilised his talents, giving him only one substitute appearance.
Mokotjo is still only 22, but speaks like a 44-year-old. His confidence does not come across as the brashness of youth - just as a belief in his abilities plainly spoken about.
"Koeman, when he came in, told me that I had more qualities at right-back than midfield. I told him that's not true - I'm a natural midfielder.
"Coaches say stuff like that because they want to make space for other players. I'm not stupid - I know that," Mokotjo said this week in Durban, where he had been recalled to the Bafana Bafana squad for yesterday's World Cup qualifier against Botswana.
"I know myself better than anyone else. It doesn't matter who tells me I'm a better right-back than a midfielder - even Pep Guardiola or Jose Mourinho, I'll tell them: 'You're wrong.'
"I finally got a chance at Zwolle; we've been doing well and, ja, I've been one of the driving forces."
Mokotjo, playing in defensive midfield, has taken delight in scoring two goals, being man of the match once, and playing an influential role in steering Zwolle to the top of the Eredivisie.
His confidence was lifted by being headhunted by coach Ron Jans, a long-time fan, despite having a year left on his contract. And Mokotjo said he's also one of those players - common in central midfield - who prefer a general's role to a corporal's.
"The club's philosophy has always been very attacking, attractive football. I'm a player who likes to be on the ball a lot, who is comfortable on the ball, and who can lead on the pitch. who can change positions in midfield and doesn't stay in defensive midfield. I'm a smart player and at PEC we have a lot of smart players, so that makes it easy.
"It's upset the whole league, us being on top - they're just waiting for us to fall."
Mokotjo was spotted playing for Northern Free State in an inter-regional tournament in Cape Town in 2001 and asked for South African under-12 trials.
He's gone through the ranks from national under-17s to under-23s, including being part of the team that reached the under-20 World Cup last-16 in Egypt in 2009.