King Cole is Vasco’s joy
Why on-loan midfielder is the most talked about Cape player
OFTEN the difficulties that have to be hurdled are just opportunities in disguise.
Vasco da Gama’s man of the moment Cole Alexander is certainly discovering this truth – and he is revelling in the joy that has come with his chance of playing regular football.
Alexander is the most talked about Cape footballer at the moment after some stunning performances for Vasco in the PSL.
On Friday night, he is set to continue his time in the spotlight when the new Cape PSL side takes on Maritzburg United in a league fixture at Newlands (kick off 8pm).
But it wasn’t always like this for Alexander.
It has, in fact, been a long and frustrating journey to get where he currently is – and, as he himself suggests, the hard work has only just begun.
Now 21 years old, he had quickly progressed to the Ajax Cape Town PSL squad in 2008. It all looked promising, but very soon he was going nowhere. He was hardly getting a game at Ajax. If he did, it was off the bench for a couple of minutes and he was used in an attacking role.
It wasn’t the best of times for the talented young footballer from Lentegeur in Mitchell’s Plain. But Vasco’s promotion to the PSL this season was to be the change that would kickstart his career.
With Ajax eager to ensure that the player gain some playing experience, they sent him on loan to close neighbours Vasco. It would prove to be an inspirational move.
Alexander has blossomed at Vasco. He has taken the opportunity and sprouted wings, developing and maturing into a footballer of stature and one that most definitely has a bright future in the game.
But the change hasn’t just been a loan transfer from club to club, it has also been an inspired positional swop that has brought out the best in Alexander.
Instead of deploying the midfielder in an attacking role, as Ajax often did, Vasco coach Carlos das Neves, ever the shrewd tactical football brain, used Alexander in a holding central midfield position. It worked a treat as the position has suited his superior technical ability. Blessed with touch, vision, fantastic passing range and an infectious energy, he is able to sit deep and plot, plan and run the game.
Still in Lentegeur, where he stays with his parents, Alexander attended Wittebome High in Wynberg and started his junior career at Mitchell’s Plain side, Leeds. He went on to play for Seven Stars, Santos and the Hellenic Academy before getting to Ajax as an under-17 player. From here, his rise was spectacular and he was soon a member of the PSL team.
Alexander credits Das Neves for the change in his game.
“It’s great to have a coach who believes in you and has every faith that you can do what is asked,” said Alexander. “And it’s not just me that Carlos has brought this out, it’s the entire squad. He believes in the team and that is probably what is at the heart of our good performances this season. We want to do well, not only for ourselves but for the club and the coach, to justify his faith in us.”
And that is so true. There are quite a few loan players at Vasco, many considered surplus to requirements at other PSL clubs. Vasco and Das Neves have tapped into the players’ desperation to succeed and their natural talent, so long suppressed.
Alexander’s elevation was conspicuously evident in Vasco’s courageous 3-2 victory over Kaizer Chiefs two weeks ago. He was named as man of the match, such was his influence and the cool, systematic manner in which he dismantled footballers from the most popular club in the country.
“That win over Chiefs was a real boost for the club and has given us confidence for the way forward,” he said. “Now we know that we can compete at this level, we just have to ensure that we are consistent.”
Alexander also wanted to clear the air with some Vasco officials and supporters.
“In my interview on television after being named man of the match for the Chiefs match, I mentioned something about going back to Ajax next year,” said Alexander. “And it was assumed that I wasn’t loyal to Vasco and that I was looking forward to returning to Ajax.
“But that wasn’t the point. I want to emphasise that I am happy at Vasco and really enjoying my football. But the future is not up to me, I am still on contract to Ajax and they have the ultimate say in what my next move is. My loan spell finishes in June next year. If Vasco want me for next season, it’s up to them and Ajax to talk. It’s out of my hands.”
But there are still many months to go before that situation has to be negotiated. For now, Alexander – and Vasco – are taking it one game at a time. Like Friday, when Maritzburg United come to visit.
“It’ll be a tough game, but these are the games that we must get three points from,” he said. “We are at home and we are playing a team below us on the log. We cannot afford to let games like this slip.
“It’s all good and well beating Chiefs, but the real crux is to play well and beat teams like Maritzburg. That is our challenge this season.”