Lucas Radebe

“Football can be a monster or your worst enemy because you have all the money and everything you need, you become exposed to many things, but once the foundation is strong, it is not easy to fall prey.”

“The proper structure is to get married first and eventually everything falls into place.”

“Family has shaped the person I am today and I always encourage people to build a strong family foundation.”

“However, my parents encouraged me to study because they valued the importance of education”

“But from day one, I knew that football was a calling for me, because I’ve always worked in a big number of teams, I was competitive and always on top.”

“For me football started as a hobby, every day after school, when I didn’t have anything to do in the township, I would participate in soccer games.”

“As players you need to be treated as number one – when you retire only you have to live with your body.”

“Travelling back and forth on long-haul flights all the time causes injuries and eventually takes its toll on the body.”

“Most of the decisions to retire are made by players who know they have to do something to keep their careers going.”

“I’ll never forget the love they showed me.”

“But they welcomed me like a brother. Like a son.”

“Leeds had a reputation for being the most racist city and I experienced a lot of it around the country.”

“My culture was completely different to theirs.”

“I was a stranger from across the world. I didn’t look like them.”