In a new series, ThisIsFootball.Africa asks top stars of our football to name the best eleven of teammates that they played with throughout their career. This week we spoke to Bafana Bafana legend Andre Arendse about the best XI he has played with and why they were so unique and why they made the cut.
The 1996 African Cup of Nations winner named his eleven which includes himself, declaring that all goalkeepers are strikers that could not make it as strikers! . His story as a goalkeeper started at the age of 14, whilst messing around in goals and this eventually ended up with him falling in love with the position and reaching fame both locally and abroad as a number one. So, sit back and enjoy Andre Arendse’s best XI that he played with, goalkeeper and defenders edition. Next we will look at his midfield choices.
Defenders
“At the national team I played with Sizwe Motaung, so he starts for me at right back. I have some of the best memories of him bombing down that right channel, his crosses of creativity engineered a lot of goals which made us win matches,”
“At left back there are very few more naturally gifted left footed players than David Nyathi. We played together at Cape Town Spurs as well as the national team. He was a player of quality, who fought hard to make sure the team won.”
“My centre back pairing would be anchored by Lucas Radebe and Edries Burton. Lucas could go toe to toe with any striker, he was a man-marker and not a sweeper but someone who could really defend. He protected the goalkeeper, and I enjoyed my time with him at Bafana Bafana. Edries I would pick as a left-sided centre back, he had a heart of a lion that would fight for his team. He was my teammate at Santos and Cape Town Spurs, a no-nonsense defender who had longevity because of how well he looked after himself. Edries always maintained a very high standard and never allowed anyone to slack”
In the next instalment we go through the midfield of Arendse’s Best XI, as we piece together a formidable side that he has played with over the years as a professional footballer. Now, Andre is part of the technical team at SuperSport United as a goalkeeper coach.
Do you agree with Arendse’s selection?
Who are the defenders that he played with that you think that he should have included?
Why did he leave out defenders like Mark Fish, who not only was a revelation for and spent many seasons in top leagues overseas? What about his Bafana captain Mark Tovey who led the team that got Arendse his Afcon medal. Nor do any of his Fulham team mates make the cut even though some of the players were household names in English football.
Also Read: Andre Arendse Explains Why Bafana Bafana Fail to Qualify for Major Tournaments
