They weaved their way into the hearts of millions
THE tsamayas, back heels, step-overs, show me your number, invisible strings and shibobos.
South African soccer fans love dribbling wizards, although these days players are not given as much freedom to do the razzmatazz that forms a greater part of this country’s soccer history.
We take a look at five dribbling wizards in the Premier Soccer League era who kept supporters on the edge of their seats.
1) Emmanuel “Scara” Ngobese
“Scara”, or Black Jesus as some called him, could do anything with the ball. He loved the 360-degree turn and was so cheeky he would even walk with the ball, calling on anyone brave enough to try get it from him. At Chiefs, Ngobese worked with Ted Dumitru — the Romaniaborn coach who understood South Africans’ style of play.
His career went downhill as soon as ErnstMiddendorp joined Amakhosi in 2005.
2) Doctor “16V” Khumalo
Khumalo did not need to run with the ball to make an impact on the pitch. He was a genius who was able to find a chink in the opposition armour with just a pass.
Many players have had to show their numbers because of “16V”, while others have gone through the pain of seeing the ball go through their legs.
When he had the ball, a defender was probably going to be left on the floor eating grass. Lekoelea was not the quickest, but he had the skill to get past the opposition.
Those who saw Thabo “Jomo” Rakhale producing the piece of skill against Chippa United recently, when the ball followed him while he walked away, would remember “Chippa” did the same thing against Golden Arrows during the Kosta Papic era.
4) Jabu “Shuffle” Mahlangu (Pule)
Shuffle the pack! He was a crowd-pleaser who would dance around the ball, but he usually used his skills to get the team going forward. And when Chiefs had a comfort- able lead, like in the 2001 Coca-Cola Cup final against Jomo Cosmos, Mahlangu would fool around a bit with defenders. He was never the same after he left Chiefs.
5) Junaid Hartley
One of the most skillful players to grace a soccer pitch. Hartleywas a man who could do just about anything with the ball.
Born in Cape Town, he had the skills we usually associate with players from Daveyton, Sebokeng and Soweto. Billed as the next best thing when he was in his teens, the talented but wayward midfielder was in the same class as Benni McCarthy and Quinton Fortune but, because of ill-discipline, never quite lived up to his early billing.