Ask any reputable Leeds United fan to name a cult hero and a lot of them will return with the same answer: Lucas Radebe.
South African born, adopted Yorkshireman Lucas Radebe donned the white of Leeds United between 1994 and 2005 making 229 appearances in total – but what made him so special?
It certainly was not the transfer fee, nor was it his worldwide reputation, for he had only excelled in his native country, which was home to hardly the most prestigious competition – especially before the World Cup.
No; forget the contemporary measurement for success; the obsession with media profile, money, stardom, glitz and glamour. This was greatness in its purest form – the journey of a raw talent refining his abilities during the golden era of Premier League football at one of England’s most iconic clubs.
Affectionally named ‘The Chief’ by all those who had the pleasure of watching him play, Radebe was not short of admirers – drawing plaudits from outside the footballing realm in the form of Nelson Mandela who declared him as “my hero” when visiting Leeds in 2002 (as per FourFourTwo).
And within it, they were just as strong. Conveyed in a less poetic way, one Leeds fan recounted the time he went in net at Old Trafford in the 95/96 season…
“I remember he once played five games in ten or eleven days, which included a game in Johannesburg before returning to Leeds. He’s an all-round hero, even when he went in goal against ‘the scum’,” he said (via The South African).
It is hard not to love a player who bites the bullet and stands between the sticks – and, more importantly, actually does well.
Then you move onto his performances. He was a quality player. A solid, no nonsense, traditional defender who created a formidable bond with Rio Ferdinand. The sensational pairing that guided them through group stages alongside European powerhouses AC Milan and Real Madrid; the rocks who shut out Anderlecht, a team that had won the previous 20 games at home; Leeds’ very own dynamic duo.
What is more impressive is that the following season he rejected Manchester United, AC Milan and AS Roma to remain in West Yorkshire – literally throwing away once in a lifetime opportunities to continue his career where he loved.
It was display of unbridled passion and dedication, the likes we will rarely see again.
Radebe’s career continued into the next decade, but a torn medial ligament injury, which saw him out of action for nearly seven months, was soon followed by damaged ankle ligaments, leaving the national legend out of the reckoning for what was his last World Cup opportunity.
The legend of West Yorkshire retired in 2005.