Information AboutLucas Radebe |
Lucas Valeriu Radebe (born December 4 1969 ) is a former Leeds United and South Africa n Football player. Radebe was born in the Diepkloof section of Soweto , near Johannesburg , as one of eleven children. When he was 15 years old he was sent to the " Bantustan " of Bophuthatswana by his parents in order to keep him away from the violence that was affecting Soweto during the Apartheid era. In order to keep himself busy during his stay in Bophuthatswana, Radebe played football (as a Goalkeeper ). CLUB CAREER Radebe was spotted and signed by the Kaizer Chiefs Football Club as a Midfielder . In 1991 he was shot while walking down the street, though he was not critically wounded. The motive for the shooting never became clear, but Radebe himself believes that someone had been hired to shoot him in order to prevent him from moving to another club. Partially motivated by the shooting incident, Lucas and another South African player, Philemon "Chippa" Masinga , moved to Leeds United in 1994 ; Radebe was sold by the Kaizer Chiefs for £ 250,000. Radebe became a star player for Leeds and was nicknamed "The Chief" by its fans partly due to his previous club and partly his absolute rule in defence . In recognition of his leadership and ability, Radebe was appointed captain of the team for the 1998/99 season. As captain of Leeds, Radebe was very successful: in the 1998/1999 season, Leeds finished fourth in the FA Premier League qualifying for the UEFA Cup . During the 1999/ 2000 season, Leeds finished third in the Premier League and qualified for the Champions League , reaching the semi-finals. However, in 2000, Radebe sustained Knee and Ankle injuries, which kept him out of the game for almost two years. RETIREMENT At the end of the 2005 season, Radebe retired from professional football in a star-studded testimonial match at Elland Road involving players from all around the world, and Leeds United players past and present. He has been offered a role on the Leeds United coaching staff as a result. He is still a crowd favourite at Elland Road with the fans still singing his name even after his retirement showing how much he endeared himself to the fans during his playing career. Lucas held a testimonial at , South Africa between a South African Invitation XI and Lucas Radebe All Stars at Kings Park Soccer Stadium The match finished South African Invitation XI 3-2 Lucas Radebe All Stars KaizerChiefs.com (12/06/2005). "Radebe honoured in Durban" KaizerChiefs.com (accessed 31st Aug 2006). The proceeds from both of these matches were combined with other money raised and donated to charity as part of Lucas's big donation to charity in his final year as a player. On 28 August 2006 , Lucas announced that he was going back to Leeds after failing to secure job with the World Cup hosts to be involved in the set-up of Bafana Bafana even though he was promised. He said he was tired of waiting for unreliable people who had allegedly promised him a role in the national team set up as the South African Football Association prepare to host the next World Cup in 2010 BBC (28/08/2005). "Radebe quits South Africa" bbc.co.uk (accessed 26st Sept 2006). It is also known that Lucas is friendly with former South African President Nelson Mandela . On a visit to Leeds, Mandela told dignitaries "This is my hero". (28/04/2005). "Radebe bids farewell" bbc.co.uk INTERNATIONAL CAREER Radebe was first included in the South African National Team in 1992 and he made his international debut on 7 July 1992 against Cameroon . In 1996 , he was a member of the South African team that won the African Nations Cup . Radebe was also the captain of the South African national football team (nicknamed the ''Bafana Bafana'') in the 1998 FIFA World Cup and also in the 2002 FIFA World Cup . He earned 70 "caps" for South Africa and scored 2 goals during his international career with his last match being against England on 22 May 2003. MISCELLANEOUS Radebe has been an ambassador of FIFA for SOS Children's Villages ; he also received the FIFA Fair Play Award in December 2000 for his contribution in ridding soccer of racism as well as for his work with children in South Africa. He was voted 54th in the Top 100 Great South Africans in 2004. EXTERNAL LINKS FURTHER READING
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