Throwback Thursday: The legendary Quinton Fortune and his glory days
On this Throwback Thursday, Briefly.co.za pays homage to one of the greatest footballers produced by Mzansi. We look at the legendary Quinton Fortune.
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South Africa has produced a number of great footballers who have achieved international acclaim.
Jomo Sono and Kaizer Motaung made names for themselves in the United States decades ago, while the likes of Lucas Radebe, Steven Pienaar and others carved out successful careers in Europe.
Benni McCarthy can even boast a Champions League medal.
Yet, who of them has played for arguably the biggest club in the world and has an English Premier League winners medal? None other than Quinton Fortune.
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Born on 21 May, 1977, Fortune was destined for greatness at an early age.
While only 14 years of age, Fortune was signed by Tottenham Hotspur in the English Premier League.
The youngster struggled to overcome work permit issues and was forced to move to Mallorca in Spain's La Liga. Briefly.co.za recalls that he then spent three seasons at Atletico Madrid.
After a few modest seasons in Spain, Fortune made the surprise move to super club Manchester United.
Legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson saw promise in the young midfielder and Fortune would enjoy a seven-year spell at Old Trafford.
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Many people may not be aware, but Fortune never played the minimum requirement of 10 matches in a season to win a Premier League winner's medal.
However, he was awarded the prestigious accolade in 2003 by special dispensation as he notched up nine league appearances during that season.
Fortune eventually left the Red Devils for Bolton Wanderers and eventually retired from club football in 2010 at Doncaster Rovers.
Fortune was a key player for Bafana Bafana as well and racked up 46 caps for the national team.
He featured prominently in the 1998 and 2002 FIFA Wold Cups.
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Source: Briefly News
