Early life
Lucas Radebe was born on April 12, 1969, in Diepkloof, Soweto, and remained there until he was 15 years old, at which point his parents relocated him to a place called “Bophutatswana” due to the persistent violence in their neighborhood. He had always been a devotee of soccer and had just started playing competitively for the ICL Birds in the Bophuthatswana Soccer League, initially as a goalkeeper and subsequently moving into the midfield.
One of their 11 children, Lucas Radebe was born to Johannes Radebe and Emily Radebe. At age 15, he completed his secondary schooling at Bapasenatla Secondary School. In order to keep him safe from the frequent gunfights and violence in Soweto, he was relocated to one of the former homelands in Grade 10, Bophuthatswana.
He was discovered by talent scouts for the Kaizer Chiefs team in 1989, and he was quickly signed up. Despite having been shot in the back by an unidentified assailant less than a year prior, Radebe quickly rose to the status of one of the club’s best players and, in 1992, reached the pinnacle of his athletic career by being chosen for Bafana Bafana, the national soccer team of South Africa.
His mother in particular was very strict with him. When he first started playing football as a goalkeeper, he got kicked in the face, and that’s when my parents found out for the first time that he was playing football. Her mother was furious about him playing football behind their backs. She didn’t support him to pursue a career in soccer. Therefore, he had to miss a lot of school and classes as he recovered from his injuries. He received a warning, but after he recovered he resumed playing.
Rhuu Football career
Since he was a young child, Lucas Valeriu Ntuba Redebe, better known as Lucas Radebe, has been an obsessive soccer supporter. In South Africa, Lucas Radebe began playing football for Diepkloof Wolf Wanderer. He was recruited as a goalkeeper by the Bophuthatswana soccer team. Kiazers Cheifs after playing for the amateur team ICL Birds. Later, he changed positions, first playing central midfielder and then center back.
He played 113 games while a senior for the Kaizers and scored 5 goals in 5 seasons. Leeds United F.C. was drawn to his exquisite, acrobatic scissor and man-marking skills. As a defensive center-back, Redebe joined Leeds United in 1994 together with his African teammate for a transfer price of £250000 (R5 026 870,00). He played goalkeeper for Leeds United after he returned from injury in March 1996. The FIFA Fair Play Award was also given to Radebe.
Radebe’s injury persisted throughout his playing career. He was forced to sit out of the game for two years due to major knee and ankle ailments. He was unable to restore his form or place on the team. At the conclusion of the 2005 season, Lucas Radebe declared his retirement from football.
In terms of his international playing career, he made his debut on July 7, 1992, during a match against Cameroon. Jersey No. 5 for Leeds captained his country while playing. He played 70 games for South Africa as a national player, scoring just 2 goals overall.
Lucus retires in the game
After the 2005 campaign, Radebe announced his retirement from the game. On May 2, 2005, Leeds celebrated a testimonial for Radebe at Elland Road, drawing a crowd of more than 37,886 people. At Kings Park Soccer Stadium in Durban, South Africa, Radebe also hosted a retirement game between the Lucas Radebe All Stars and a South African Invitation XI. Both of these matches’ winnings were pooled with other funds raised and given to charity.
After failing to land a position with the World Cup hosts to assist in the formation of Bafana Bafana, Radebe declared on August 28, 2006, that he was returning to Leeds. He claimed to be “weary of waiting for unreliable people” who had supposedly promised him a position in the national team structure as the South African Football Association got ready to host the 2010 World Cup. After retirement, Radebe played a key role in South Africa’s successful World Cup bid. During ITV’s coverage of the tournament and as a pundit for South African television, he was also visible.
Lucus Radebe wife
After several years of marriage, the brilliant soccer player’s first wife Feziwe Faith Radebe passed away in 2008. He was left to care for their two kids by himself. After grieving for years, he wed Thobela Silver Radebe, his second wife, in 2015. They have been blessed with two gorgeous children. A total of four children, Lucas Jr. Radebe, Jessica Radebe, Ofentse Radebe, and Owami Radebe, were born to him.
Soccer star honored internationally
As the recipient of the 10 Seasons Award for Community Contribution in 2003, Leeds United Honored Radebe. The Award recognizes the player who has done the most to use his position as a professional footballer to improve people’s lives. It is a part of the Premier League’s 10 seasons festivities, which look back on the past decade of top-flight English football. Lucas was chosen as the winner by a specially commissioned panel, which considered a shortlist of ten players before making its choice, in honor of his accomplishment of significantly improving people’s lives in communities on two distinct continents.
Warren Barton, John Barnes, Dion Dublin, Bryan Gunn, Gary Mabbutt, Chris Powell, Niall Quinn, David Unsworth, and Tommy Wright were among the other athletes nominated for the honor. Since leaving Kaiser Chiefs to join Leeds United in September 1994, Lucas has served as the driving force behind numerous anti-racism and award-winning educational initiatives that have addressed issues with social inclusion in inner-city Leeds.
The idea motivated 12,500 people of all ages to read an additional 500,000 books, and the campaign was a huge success, receiving the Big Issue Difference Award for a medium-sized business.Radebe also played a significant part in the Leeds United Against Racism Schools Project, which inspired kids to create plans for combating racism in the classroom, at school, and in the neighborhood.Radebe also contributed significantly to the South African community, for which he was given the 2000 Fifa Fair Play Footballer of the Year Award.
Radebe has spent a lot of his time holding coaching clinics in impoverished areas as part of Fifa’s SOS Children’s Villages Campaign. In addition to his many appearances for charity, he has also worked with Starfish, a group that aims to address the issues with Aids in Southern Africa.
“There are many people involved in football who do a tremendous amount for their local community who don’t get the credit they deserve, all those short-listed for the award are worthy of praise,” said Dave Richards, the Chairman of the Premier League, who served on the panel to determine the winner of the award.
Soccer player Lucas Radebe is so well-liked in Leeds that even 14 years after leaving the United Kingdom club, fans are still naming their offspring after him. Radebe was shocked this week when fan George Bull announced he was calling his child after Radebe, also known as “The Chief” in Yorkshire, in a picture of himself and his newborn child that he uploaded on Twitter. When Radebe retired from the club, Liam Anderson’s kid, now 14 years old, was also born. In response to the tweet, Radebe expressed his desire to soon meet the adolescent in person.
Despite his prowess in the field of play, he just lost a bid to become president of the South African Football Association (Safa), according to TimesLIVE.Some individuals questioned if Radebe was valued sufficiently in South Africa in light of the support Radebe received from UK followers. Chris Mayimele tweeted, “I’m envious because it appears like English people value Lucas Radebe more than we South Africans.”
Radebe appointment to CAF
Lucas Radebe, a new member of the CAF technical and development committee, is eager to get started and thrilled about his position with the group. The former defender for Kaizer Chiefs, Leeds United, and Bafana Bafana is just one of several football greats that the continent’s football governing body has enlisted. Their main responsibility will be to communicate with national football associations all around the continent to promote the game beyond simply the men’s game.
“The aim is to get involved with a local organization, which [or me, would be with SAFA just so that I can give back. We are looking at how we can develop football, not looking at just men’s football, but also women’s football. We have a lot of work to do… how we can develop women’s football as well as school football. CAF has never gotten involved in school football… just local organizations. This will be an extension of (CAF president Patrice) Motsepe’s project.” said Radebe
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