STEVEN Pienaar has credited former SuperSport United coach Cavin Johnson for igniting his successful career in a moving tribute posted on YouTube.
The former Bafana Bafana captain said he would not have enjoyed a career that took him to Ajax Amsterdam, Borussia Dortmund, Tottenham Hotspur and Everton if it was not for his childhood mentor Johnson.
In the clip, the Merseyside fan favourite says thank you to Johnson for the part he played in his rise. Both men are from the small community of Westbury, Johannesburg, where Pienaar was spotted.
"I would like to thank coach Cavin Johnson for all the effort he put in," Pienaar said in the two-and-a-half-minute video. "I always had a dream to play in the Barclays Premier League but without Johnson I don't think I would have reached my potential.
"I was lucky I got spotted. Johnson grew up in Westbury, so it was easier for him to know how to communicate with me.
"He helped me develop not just as a footballer but as a young person as well."
Johnson, who was axed by United last month, welcomed Pienaar's tribute. "It was very positive yet very emotional. I know he's an emotional kid but he is also a hard worker.
"There were a few players better than Pienaar in Westbury but he knew what he wanted to be in life from an early age and worked hard towards it. Steven did not chase big cars and houses before his time. He did not chase a big dream but he knew he had to work hard and when those things did come, they would come in abundance," said Johnson.
"I gave him the groundwork and he grabbed his chance with both hands."
Johnson, however, decried the fact that South Africa has only been able to produce less than a handful of players that were able to play more than 100 games in the Premier League over the past decade.
"We've had one, Steven Pienaar, in 15 years - that is not good enough," he said.
Pienaar praises Johnson's role
STEVEN Pienaar has credited former SuperSport United coach Cavin Johnson for igniting his successful career in a moving tribute posted on YouTube.
The former Bafana Bafana captain said he would not have enjoyed a career that took him to Ajax Amsterdam, Borussia Dortmund, Tottenham Hotspur and Everton if it was not for his childhood mentor Johnson.
In the clip, the Merseyside fan favourite says thank you to Johnson for the part he played in his rise. Both men are from the small community of Westbury, Johannesburg, where Pienaar was spotted.
"I would like to thank coach Cavin Johnson for all the effort he put in," Pienaar said in the two-and-a-half-minute video. "I always had a dream to play in the Barclays Premier League but without Johnson I don't think I would have reached my potential.
"I was lucky I got spotted. Johnson grew up in Westbury, so it was easier for him to know how to communicate with me.
"He helped me develop not just as a footballer but as a young person as well."
Johnson, who was axed by United last month, welcomed Pienaar's tribute. "It was very positive yet very emotional. I know he's an emotional kid but he is also a hard worker.
"There were a few players better than Pienaar in Westbury but he knew what he wanted to be in life from an early age and worked hard towards it. Steven did not chase big cars and houses before his time. He did not chase a big dream but he knew he had to work hard and when those things did come, they would come in abundance," said Johnson.
"I gave him the groundwork and he grabbed his chance with both hands."
Johnson, however, decried the fact that South Africa has only been able to produce less than a handful of players that were able to play more than 100 games in the Premier League over the past decade.
"We've had one, Steven Pienaar, in 15 years - that is not good enough," he said.
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