Iqraam’s hard work is paying off
THERE’S a well known sports idiom that says “hard work beats talent if talent doesn’t work hard”. If it’s true, then Santos starlet Iqraam Rayners is destined for success.
Rayners has progressed quickly and steadily since joining the club at Under-17 level; breaking into the first team during the 2014-15 season, growing into a key player during the current campaign and forcing himself into contention with the Rio de Janeiro-bound national U23 side.
However, his road to national recognition has not been without its speed bumps. In fact, Rayners has had to show determination and diligence around every corner.
Until he moved from Netreg to Eastridge as a 13-year-old, Rayners was unable to even join a football club.
“I loved soccer while I was living in Netreg, but there were a lot of gangsters there and you can’t just walk anywhere,” he says.
“There are just as many in Mitchells Plain and they have robbed me about four or five times. Where the soccer field is in Bonteheuwel there are a lot of gangsters and you can’t really take the risk. In Mitchells Plain I’ve had my phones or takkies stolen several times. There is still risk of me getting robbed (when I take the bus to practice) these days, but I always check the streets before I walk.
“It’s not a good feeling having to worry about being robbed, but some of the gangsters know me these days because I play soccer and sometimes they will just walk past me.”
Rayners’ experience is all too common across the Cape Flats, where the type of pitfalls he describes has ended the careers of an untold number of talented sportsmen and women.
Fortunately, the experience did not prevent him from playing football, and after a few years with Kenpark United he had a successful trial with the Santos U17 side.
His pace and goal-scoring record saw him progress through the club’s development ranks until he reached the first team in 2014. The 20-year-old made eight appearances in the Santos NFD team last season, but he failed to impress and was almost cut from the side before the current campaign.
Zeca Marques, Santos’ coach, shifted Rayners from attack to defence and says the youngster has been a “revelation in the team” since then.
“Iqraam has come on leaps and bounds. He has definitely progressed and I have seen improvement throughout the season,” Marques says.
“He is becoming confident on the ball and his pace is definitely a great asset. We took him from a winger to a wing-back, so he is playing more defensively now. The role has helped him to improve exceptionally well. There are very few players who can actually go past him and his tackling has improved. I have seen a lot of improvements from Iqraam but he is still far from a well rounded player. He needs to improve on the technical side and the mental side.
“You can see that he is dedicated. He works hard and he wants to improve. I think sometimes he puts too much pressure on himself and that’s why he makes mistakes. The fact that he has improved shows that he is willing to learn, and that is a good sign.”
Marques has fielded Rayners in 18 matches so far this season, and the youngster’s national team call-up is proof of the impact he’s made.
Unfortunately, Rayners was unable to join the U23 team for the fixture against Brazil’s Olympic team in Maceio last week due to a hiccup with his passport, but he has refused to let the set-back slow his progress.
“I felt really good about it, because I had been thinking about getting called up. I want at least two or three Under-23 caps so that the PSL teams can start paying attention. When I found out I had to fly back home because of my passport issues I was a little upset. I wondered why it had to happen to me,” he says.
“They didn’t say that I would get another call-up, but I just have to prove myself again. The Olympic Games only starts in August, and I think there will be a few Under-23 training camps when the season finishes. I think I stand a good chance of getting called up again.
“Playing at the Olympic Games is a really good opportu- nity for me as a young player. There are a lot of clubs in Brazil and they could be looking to sign some of the players. I would also love to be part of the first South African (football) team to win a medal at the Olympics.”
Until then, Rayners plans to continue working hard to improve, and either help Santos return to the PSL or earn a transfer to a top- flight club.
Marques believes the 20year-old “has been the best player on the field” in his 17 matches before Saturday’s 1-0 loss to Free State Stars. If he continues to improve at his current rate, Rayners will likely achieve his goals this year.