It is quite unfortunate how we fail to acknowledge out heroes and give them the flowers while they can still smell them. In the case of Lucas Radebe who is an icon for Bafana Bafana and Leeds FC and my personal best defender of the 1990s era and the squad that lifted the AFCON. ‘Rhoo’ as he was affectionately known used to send chills down the spines of opposition defenders and was a nightmare to many of the world’s best stars at the time while performing at the highest level in England.
It is an injustice how he is underrated in his own backyard. He is the paragon of a quality and loyal player. Many have been calling for him to take up coaching, however it is important to remember that not all great players can be good coaches, this has been proven many times before with a couple of exceptions. Lucas Radebe went the corporate route as he has partnered with insurance giants Discovery. He was announced as a Vitality Ambassador in 2019 alongside the likes of Caster Semenya and Wayde van Nierkek.
His conversation with Eric Macheru…
Lucas Radebe had a conversation with Skeem star and former footballer Eric Macheru. On the extract the actor asked him if the rumors of him turning down Sir Alex Ferguson and a move to Manchester United are true. The Legend indeed confirmed that he did pass on the offer to move along with Rio Ferdinand and this has left me wondering of what could’ve been. This however proves how loyal and a stand up guy Rhoo was as he also elaborate that this is part of the reason why Leeds fans love him so much.
Many fans aren’t even aware that Lucal Radebe is treated like royalty in the town of Leeds for his exploits as captain. He was also given the alias ‘The Chief’ which says it all about what he meant to the club. It is believed that the number of children who born in Leeds were named after him from 2019 is quite impressive, many lifelong fans of the club are doing this as gesture and a way to play homage to him for the good memories over the years.
Eric Macheru dropped his jaw on the table as he couldn’t believe that Lucas Radebe did this and as a former footballer himself, my best bet would be that he would’ve taken the move without any hesitation and you can tell by how he was genuinely shocked. It is truly safe to say that they don’t make them like Radebe anymore as football is all about money and there’s hardly any passion , loyalty or dedication left. In the hindsight this might be what is wrong with the current climate of football as many have called out that it lacks the grit and raw emotion that we all fell in love with