In the build-up to the Olympics, soccer writer Njabulo Ngidi profiles the players who will represent South Africa in Rio and Matshelane Mamabolo reminisces on a member of the Class of 2000 who played in a similar position.
Today they look at Rivaldo Coetzee and Aaron Mokoena, players who set records as the youngest to represent Bafana Bafana
Johannesburg - Rivaldo Coetzee hasn’t strayed that far off from the prophetic name his father, Trevor, gave him almost 20 years ago.
Coetzee did, after all, start out as a striker and in two weeks he will follow in the footsteps of his namesake - former Brazil World Cup winner and superstar Rivaldo - by also becoming an Olympian.
The Olympics are a special tournament that inspired his father, a fan of Brazilian football, to name his son Rivaldo after seeing the star guide the Selecao to third place at Atlanta 1996 on August 2.
Two months after that Coetzee was born. The fact that he will become an Olympian in Brazil makes it even more special for father and son.
“I don’t thinkanyone could be more proud than him because he put so much effort for me to be where I am today,” Coetzee said. “He talks to anyone about me, even if it’s not in the topic. He always mentions my name and then everybody has to change the topic to talk about me.”
There is plenty to talk about because of the 19-year-old’s meteoric rise since he left Kakamas for the Ajax Cape Town academy.
The Urban Warriors laid the foundation that saw Coetzee break a 15-year-old record, previously held by Aaron Mokoena, when he became the youngest player to represent Bafana Bafana.
That happened just before he turned 18 in a 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Congo. Being the youngest member of a team wasn’t something new for Coetzee. He played in the same team with his father as a 13-year-old.
“I have always wanted to be a footballer,” Coetzee said. “My father played at amateur level. I would go with him to every game he played. He was a goalkeeper, so I would play behind his poles with my own ball and with my friends. Then one day I told my mother that I don’t want to work, I just want to play football.
“Now every time when we speak on the phone, she tells me that 'you can’t say that you’re tired because you said that your feet are going to work for you'. I have a very close relationship with my father. We are always together, whenever there was something happening in football he used to take me with, even if I didn’t want to go. I would go, with my own ball so that I would keep busy while he was doing his own thing. It’s because of him that I am here today.”
Rising star Mbazo fails to shine at Olympics
Aaron Mokoena’s rise to fame on the international football stage was pretty unorthodox. Unlike almost all the members of Amaglug-glug squad who earned their stripes via playing for the Under-20's, Mbazo started at the top before coming down.
He first played for Bafana Bafana when he became the youngest (18 years, two months and 26 days) South African senior international during a clash against Botswana in wet Gaborone back in 1999.
Call-ups to the Under-23 squad followed and the lad from Boipatong was on 28 caps before the Olympics, having played most of the qualifying matches. Yet while he remained a key member of the squad, the then Ajax Amsterdam defender was a disappointment at Sydney 2000.
Pre-tournament fears that his lack of pace and clumsy tackling would once again prove costly, as they did in the 2-2 draw away to Ghana in the qualifiers, were confirmed in the two defeats the team suffered in Australia. Against Japan he conceded the free-kick that led to the equaliser.
He did the same against Slovakia, Mokoena pushing down a player who had beat him for pace and the free kick was converted. Like everyone in the team, he had a fairly good game against Brazil.
Yet those other poor showings didn’t stop him from moving up to not only captain Bafana but become the country’s most capped (107) player too with appearances at the World Cup, the Confederation Cup as well as two Africa Cup of Nations finals to boot.
He also played at the highest level in Europe moving from Ajax to play in Belgium as well as in England before bringing his career to an end with BidVest Wits.
*Friday we feature Tashreeq Morris & Nkosinathi Nhleko
The Star