Steven Pienaar’s recent move to English Premiership side Everton has once again highlighted the fact that very few South African players can cut it in Europe’s big leagues.
You can count on two hands the number of South African players who have been successful in Europe. Lucas Radebe, Mark Fish, Quinton Fortune, Nasief Morris, Shaun Bartlett, Benni McCarthy and Sibusiso Zuma are those who can claim to have had prolonged careers on the continent.
Others such as Delron Buckley, Aaron Mokoena, Bradley Carnell, Glen Salmon, Macbeth Sibaya, Matthew Booth, Siyabonga Nomvete, Elrio van Heerden and Steven Pienaar have all spent time abroad, but will perhaps look back at their careers to date with some dissatisfaction, having failed to win moves to big clubs or, once there, failed to live up to expectations.
For some, such as Van Heerden, Mokoena and Pienaar, there is still time — especially for the latter, whose 12-month loan to Everton presents the biggest opportunity of his career.
The Goodison Park club have the kind of stable set-up he missed at Borussia Dortmund last season. Manager David Moyes is the third-longest serving in the Premiership behind Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger, the club are competing in the Uefa Cup next season and there is a wonderful family atmosphere among the players.
The move to Dortmund from Ajax Amsterdam this time last year was seen as the catalyst for Pienaar’s career to move up to the next level, but it didn’t work out that way. Perhaps in Everton he will be given the chance to express himself to an adoring set of fans.
But while African players continue to flood the European football scene — and at some of the biggest clubs on the continent — South Africans remain very much in the minority.
There are hundreds of Nigerians, Ghanaians and players from the rest of West and North Africa plying their trade in Europe, but, at the last count, just 12 from South Africa who have played in the Premier Soccer League, and of those only three or four are regulars at their clubs.
I think much of it has to do with attitude, for I do believe we have the talent in this country to be exporting more players. But while youngsters from north of our borders are hungry, determined, hard-working and grateful for the chance to play abroad, many of our players believe it is their right and that, once they do make the move, the trappings of success will come with ease.
Look again at the list of players I mentioned who have succeeded in Europe. Each of them could be called nothing but consummate professionals, players who gave their lives to their careers. But we have had instances, and continue to do so, of even more talented players who are more interested in drinking, smoking dagga and partying all night than their football, and who have returned from overseas with their tails between their legs.
Why I have hope for Pienaar is because he fits into the consummate professional category and, like a hand searching for the right-sized glove, he is just waiting for the perfect fit to relaunch his promising career.
Nick Said is editor of On Target, a custom publishing division of Kick Off magazine