South African soccer legend, Lucas Radebe, was just named as one of the top 100 English Premier League players, ever – and as South Africans, we couldn’t be more proud.
The former Bafana Bafana captain was included in the list after his 11 year spell at Leeds United, where he proved to be a firm fan favourite and played in more than 200 games for the team.
As for his national duties, “The Chief” as he was known – presumably because of his stint at Kaizer Chief before heading across the pond to Leeds – was capped 70 times for Bafana Bafana and was most notably the captain in the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
He also got used to the title of captain, as he also captained Leeds United for a while.
The list of the ‘Premier League’s 100 Greatest Players Ever’ was compiled by British newspaper, The Daily Telegraph.
Radebe appears at number 78 on that list. Here is what The Daily Telegraph had to say about him:
“If Nelson Mandela names you as a hero, you know you’ve made an impact. Radebe was indeed an icon on his native South Africa, and he was similarly beloved at Leeds, where he was a colossus at the heart of their defence. As captain, ‘The Chief’ helped Leeds regularly finish in the top four in the early 2000s, while he was also a tireless campaigner against racism.”
Very well done, indeed mr. Radebe!
Check out the video below celebrating his long and illustrious career:
Source: Sport24