Cape Town - Matthew Booth may be the centre of controversy at the moment but had a successful playing career locally and abroad. We look at some of the career highlights of the renowned local football pundit.
Earned a move to Mamelodi Sundowns (1998)
A towering defender, Booth made a name for himself while playing for Cape Town Spurs in the mid-1990s. This led to a move to Mamelodi Sundowns in 1998 with whom he won two league titles, the Rothmans Cup, Charity Spectacular and Bob Save Super Bowl in his first stint.
Helped South Africa shock Brazil in the 2000 Summer Olympics
Booth was part of the South African side that shocked Brazil 3-1 in a 2000 Olympics group stage game. He started the game in defence alongside Fabian McCarthy, David Kannemeyer and Aaron Mokoena.
Other notable names in the team were Delron Buckley, Benni McCarthy and Jabu Pule.
The South Africans scored through Quinton Fortune, Siyabonga Nomvethe and Steve Lekoelea.
Ultimately South Africa lost their other two games against Japan and Slovakia and finished third in Group D, failing to progress beyond the group stage.
Earned a move to Europe (2001)
After strong performances in the South African league, Booth got his big break in 2001, joining then English Premiership side Wimbledon. With the now defunct club then in tatters, he ultimately did not make a single appearance for them before joining Russian club Rostov in 2002.
He spent seven years in Russia which were arguably the best of his career as he became a mainstay in the first team of first Rostov and then Krylia Sovetov.
Starred for Bafana Bafana (2009 Confederations Cup)
Ultimately Booth did not achieve his true potential with Bafana Bafana as he made just 37 national team appearances with injuries also playing their part.
He would have his greatest time with the national team at the 2009 Confederations Cup which was the precursor to the 2010 World Cup. He was a mainstay in defence for Joel Santana’s men, helping them to reach the semi-finals where they were outdone 1-0 by a full-strength Brazil side, with Booth in the heart of defence.
Booth was a standout performer in the tournament. His performances in that tournament led to calls for him to be made a starter for Bafana in the 2010 World Cup. Ultimately, his homecoming with Sundowns in 2009 after returning from Russia did not go according to plan and while he was in the Bafana team that played in the 2010 World Cup, it was as a squad player.
Late career redemption with Ajax 2013
Booth’s homecoming spell with Sundowns did not go well, and some argued that he was past it. However, after cutting ties with Downs for a second time in 2011, he joined Ajax Cape Town rather than retire. He went on to win the now defunct club’s player of the season award in 2013, proving that he still had it.
Booth then played for Bidvest Wits, retiring at the age of 37 in 2017.
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