Benson is ecstatic to get called up to Angola. – Football in Africa

Manuel Benson, a winger for Burnley, made the decision to play for Angola at the senior level rather than Belgium, and as a result, he was called up for the first time.

The 27-year-old, a former Belgium youth international, was born in Lokeren and is eligible to play for the Black Sable Antelopes because to his father, Jorge Hedilazio.

Benson arrived in August 2022 from Royal Antwerp to play for the Clarets. He assisted the team in winning promotion to the Premier League the previous season and went on to make eight appearances in the top division.

The Lokeren youth product has now chosen to play for Angola, who advanced to the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations quarterfinals, in the footsteps of his father.

Due to the fact that my father was born in Angola, I hold dual nationality. A time back, he played for both Lokeren and Angola, Benson said on the team’s official website.

“My family and I find great meaning in it. We made this decision a while back, but the timing hasn’t always been ideal. It is a great honor for it to now be official and represent the nation that my dad served, and it makes my family very happy.

“I can’t wait to visit there at last, experience it with the squad, and get to know the Angolan people.” I’m very excited to be a player for the national team because it provides me great pride and happiness.

Although we have several difficult games ahead of us, my main goal is to support and contribute as much as I can to the squad and, ideally, go into the break with two wins.

After drawing with Cape Verde and Mauritius in November, Pedro Goncalves’ team will start preparing for its 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Eswatini and Cameroon next month. They will be looking for their first Group D victory.