SA will regret under-utilising Rhoo

LUCAS Radebe is arguably the best thing this country has produced close to a football god, with all apologies to the religious lot.

There will be many who will want to point to others, including Jomo Sono, Ace Ntsoelengoe, Kaizer Motaung and many others.

When they do, I will not disagree with them but I will defend my contention on the basis that in the new era of international football, Rhoo, as Radebe is affectionately known, is the thing, the real McCoy.

The former Bafana Bafana captain has done it all. He was an integral part of the Class of 1996 that lifted the Africa Cup of Nations, he went on to play for and later captain Leeds United in England, and retired a hero locally and internationally.

And today on the bookstore shelves, we can now all buy his biography and share with him the good, the bad and the ugly moments of his amazing career.

What I know, though, is that history is going to be harsh on us. And when it does, it will be well-deserved and earned. In early middle age, still fit, prim and proper, a well-preserved nondrinker and nonsmoker and a goodwill ambassador, Rhoo is on the sidelines of football matters.

Shouldn't this man be one of the icons and poster boys of our football? Shouldn't we be treating him the same way as Brazil treats Romario (who by the way this week was voted a member of parliament)?

Is this a man who should just be making television adverts and raising money for good causes, while his football skills and pedigree seem lost to the national side or even to local clubs?

I am the first to say Rhoo was not the best central defender I have ever seen. As a footballer, he was at best a hard worker and a leader.

To what, then, does Rhoo owe his success? Simple, he owes it to a combination of factors. He is a hard worker. He is the type of player that gives solutions rather than finds problems.

When goalkeepers were incapacitated for one reason or another, Rhoo would don the keeper's jersey and fight for his team.

He is a leader with humility. He is disciplined, which explains why and how he kept a cool head when his peers fell to the trappings of fame and fortune.

Rhoo could have easily gone the route of his mates, of drinking and living it up, ending in all sorts of troubles like all of them.

But he didn't.

Maybe because of my suggestion that he was not as good a player as, say Neil Tovey or Steve Khompela, he is not considered good enough to coach.

But Rhoo is a leader. He is exactly what this country needs right now.

With young players still spending their money recklessly, getting drunk and acting like superstars with girls, what they need are mentors like Rhoo.

What our football needs right now are role models who are still revered the world over, like Nelson Mandela.

To steal from Abba Eban, the late South African-born former Israeli diplomat, now that we have exhausted all other alternatives, it is time we learn from history.

The time is now for us to use our best asset to raise the bar and spread the seed.

And what better start than looking to Rhoo for answers.