Lucas Radebe

Lucas Radebe is a former South African Soccer player and National Team Captain. Radebe was born in Diepkloof on 4 December 1969.

His soccer career began in Bophuthatswana, where he played for a team as a goalkeeper. He was later spotted by a scout and signed up for the Kaizer Chiefs Football Club as a midfielder.

Radebe was first included in the South African National Team in 1992. In 1994 he moved to Leeds United where he became a star player and served as captain in the 1998 and 1999 season. As captain for Leeds United, the football club became very successful, finishing fourth in the FA Premier League and qualifying for the UEFA Cup.

In 1996 he was a member of the South African team that won the African Nations Cup. Radebe was appointed captain for the South African national soccer team in the 1998 FIFA World Cup™. After recovering from a knee and ankle injury he returned to captain the South African Team in the 2002 FIFA World Cup™.

Lucas Radebe has been an ambassador of FIFA for SOS Children's Villages. In December 2000 he received the FIFA Fair Play Award for his contribution in working with children in South Africa. In 2004 he was voted 54th in the Top 100 Great South Africans. In 2005 Lucas Radebe retired from professional football. He has since been offered a role as Leeds United coaching staff.

Lucas Radebe has contributed significantly to leadership and performance in the football world. He has been recognized as one of the finest defenders in the premier league and has earned universal respect from players and fans.

Radebe's contribution on the field has extended way beyond the conventional boundaries for South Africa and African footballers. His success has gone a long way in making players from Africa be well considered in the whole world, where many clubs are now trying to find the next Lucas Radebe.

This information was provided by the South African 2010 Local Organising Committee.

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