Orlando Pirates loanee Gilberto Miguel has received some good news amid his loan spell at Petro de Luanda.
Affectionately called "Gibele" in his native Angola, Gilberto has rediscovered his confidence while on loan at Petro.
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In January 2025, just over six months after joining the Bucs in a deal worth €561,000 (R11.2 million), the winger was loaned back to the club he was bought from, Petro, for the remainder of the 2024/25 Girabola season.
The move came after the 24-year-old struggled to find his place under Pirates boss José Riveiro, as he only played 323 minutes under the Spanish tactician, as per Transfermarkt.
Since his return to the Luanda giants, Gilberto has seen regular game time for Petro, which has now resulted in the player receiving an important call-up to the Angola national team.
Notably, reports in Angola suggested that Gilberto's return to play in the Angolan top flight was also partly motivated by his desire to be in contention for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations squad.
Angola will play Libya and Cape Verde on 20 and 25 March in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, with Gibele forming part of the 27-man squad for the two fixtures.
Notably, Kaizer Chiefs defender Inacio Miguel was once again not included in the Angola, with his last appearance taking place in November 2023.
Here's Angola's 27-man squad for the upcoming international break:
Goalkeepers:Neblu (1.º de Agosto), Dominique (Etoile Carouge, Switzerland), Nsesane (Sagrada Esperança)
Defenders: Buatu (Gil Vicente, Portugal), Tô Carneiro (FAR Rabat, Morocco), Kinito (Petro de Luanda), Clinton da Mata (Lyon, France), Kialonda Gaspar (Lecce, Italy), David Carmo (Olympiakos, Greece), Sandro Cruz (Gil Vicente, Portugal), Bastos Quissanga (Botafogo, Brazil), Pedro Bondo (Famalicao, Portugal)
Midfielders: Fredy (Bodrumspor, Turkey), Maestro (Demirspor, Turkey), Beni Mukendi (Vitória de Guimarães, Portugal), Domingos Andrade (FC Porto B, Portugal), Keliano (Estrela Amadora, Portugal)
Forwards: Milson (Red Star, Portugal), A. Pululu (Jagiellonia Bialystok, Poland), Mabululu (Al Ahly, Libya), Zini (Levadiakos, Greece), Gilberto Miguel (Petro de Luanda), Chico Banza (Portimonense, Portugal), Mbala Nzola (Lens, France), André Vidigal (Stoke City, England), Manuel Benson (Burnley, England), Gelson Dala (Al Wakrah, Qatar)
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By Lukhanyo MtutaFollow him here on X
