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 the same position.
Today they look at Lebogang Mothiba and Benni McCarthy
Johannesburg - Lebogang Mothiba has the uncanny knack of shining in front of tough audiences whenever his back is against the wall. That should make Thursday night’s encounter against Brazil, when the national Under-23 team start their Olympics campaign against the hosts in Brasilia at 9pm, a breeze for the 20-year-old forward.
The lanky lad from Tembisa will lead the Olympics team’s attack as they try to tame a Brazil side that will be playing in front of an expectant crowd of over 70 000 at the Estadio Mane Garrincha. The Brazilians’ demands are simple - they want Selecao to win the gold medal to make up for the embarrassment of 2014 when the senior national team was hammered 7-1 by Germany in the semi-finals.
That July might have been unfortunate for the Brazilians, but for Mothiba it was special. He was starting his new life in France after impressing Lille scouts during a two-week trial. He moved up the club’s ranks from the Under-19s, to the reserve team. In July this year he signed a three-year contract with the three-time French champions, completing a remarkable transition from the SAB League to Ligue 1.
“It has been a difficult switch for me because the levels are different,” Mothiba said. “In France it’s more physical, than in the SAB League. But I managed to adapt, from the weather to the food and French habits. I was open-minded, that enabled me to adapt and understand the country and I could thus perform better and move up the ranks.
“My two highlights in France are scoring the goal that helped Lille win the reserve league and being promoted to the first team.”
Playing in the Olympics will be another milestone for Mothiba who didn’t play a single minute of the qualifiers. National Under-23 coach Owen da Gama wanted to bring him on board but those matches fell outside the Fifa calendar which meant Lille weren’t obliged to release him.
In the three matches he has played with the team - two matches against Tunisia in September last year and a friendly against Brazil in March - he showed why Da Gama was raving about him. He scored three goals, a brace on debut against Tunisia and one more in the 3-1 loss to Brazil. It’s not as prolific as the 32 goals he scored in 16 matches for Kempton Park FC in 2009 as a 13-year-old.
Before that he had been coached by his father at his first club, Mighty Bucks FC, before he joined Mamelodi Sundowns’ academy when he was 11. He stayed at Sundowns for two years before the academy was closed down and he went on to shine at Kempton Park FC and then Diambars before the big trek to France. He'll be out to endear himself to South Africa in Brazil.
Benni proves his superstar quality
Any doubt that Benni McCarthy was the player for the big occasion had to be laid to rest after the 2000 Sydney Olympics He was in his element in each of the three matches Amaglug-glug played as he attempted to realise his dream of Olympic gold glory. Just as he did at the Africa Cup of Nations two years earlier, McCarthy played with determination.
He hassled the opposition, he looked for the ball, he went deep into midfield to search for it and he came back to feed his fellow strikers. And then he showed some classy first touches with exquisite back heels from his large back of tricks.
His goal against Slovakia was coolly taken, though he could have scored more in that game. His only fault, however, was that he tended to play in patches.
Ahead of the Games it was clear that Benni was going to be a key player, this much proven by the team’s defeat in Cameroon when he had been declared unavailable by Safa because he played for Bafana Bafana. He had gone into the Games in top form, Benni having starred for his Spanish side Celta Vigo in the local league as well as in Europe.
His goal at the 1998 World Cup against Denmark ensured he was already a big-name player by the time of the Olympics and he lived up to his standing.
That he went on to become the country’s top scorer at senior level and made a success of his European career (he won the Champions League with Porto) was not surprising. He ended his playing career by helping Pirates win the league. He is into coaching now and was the assistant coach at Belgian side Sint Truiden (SVV) last season.
The Star