Elrio van Heerden was allowed to leave the Bafana Bafana training camp in Johannesburg and, on Monday, the exciting winger penned a two-year deal with English Premier League club Blackburn Rovers.
He was given special permission to fly to England for a day to undergo a medical and sign his contract, arriving back in South Africa on Tuesday to rejoin his Bafana team mates as they prepare for the Confederations Cup later in June.
"I want to thank the SA Football Association for assisting me with the necessary paperwork and for allowing me to leave the training camp to complete this move," said Van Heerden.
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Van Heerden follows in the footsteps of other South Africans in England's elite league - Benni McCarthy (also at Blackburn), Aaron Mokoena (Portsmouth) and Steven Pienaar (Everton).
'The supporters of Club Brugge were fantastic to me' The Port Elizabeth-born Van Heerden goes to Blackburn on a free transfer, having seen out a three-and-a-half year contract with Belgium side, Club Brugge.
"It's a great move for me after what has been a less than memorable experience the past year at Club Brugge," he said.
"The supporters of Club Brugge were fantastic to me. They even handed in a 2 000-signature petition a month ago to the management of the club for me to stay but my time was up and it was better to move on.
"The way the Club Brugge management have treated me, from a technical point of view, since my injury, has been very disappointing and it was clear the coach, Jacky Mathijsen, had different ideas about how the game should be played.
"The fact that he's gone, unfortunately, doesn't allow one to turn back the clock.
'Blackburn opens up the biggest chapter in my career' "But, through everything, the Brugge fans have been absolutely brilliant to me.
"Blackburn opens up the biggest chapter in my career and I will try repay the club for showing faith in me by playing my best football at Blackburn," added Van Heerden.
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