Top 5 of South Africa’s Greatest Ever Football Exports
- Several South Africa players have toured the world displaying their footballing talents
- The Premier Soccer League produced some elite players who went abroad to make the league proud
- Briefly News ranked the greatest ever Mzansi players who played outside the South African league
South Africa is one of the top countries in Africa, with the highest number of football exports outside the continent's shores.
Some made their mark with clubs in America and Asia, while some also gave good accounts of themselves in Europe, the most revered football continent.
Briefly News has ranked the top five as Mzansi's greatest-ever football export.
Source: Getty Images
Top 5 of South Africa's greatest football exports
5. Ace Ntsoelengoe
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Patrick Ntsoelengoe is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in South African football history and would have been a force to reckon with in modern-day football.
After his wonders with Kaizer Chiefs, he moved to North America and had a good time with Denver Dynamos, Minnesota Kicks, and Toronto Blizzard.
He was widely known for his amazing footwork during his prime and would have been at the top of his game in this era.
4. Jomo Sono
Widely referred to as the "Black Prince of South African Soccer", Sono moved abroad after his stellar performance at Orlando Pirates in 1977.
He joined the New York Cosmos and was a teammate with one of the greatest footballers ever, Pele.
Sono's dribbling and passing skills were second to none, but due to a work permit, they missed the opportunity to play for European giants Juventus.
He holds two Doctorate degrees from the University of London and the University of Dubai.
3. Lucas Radebe
The Bafana Bafana legend left South Africa in 1994 after spending five seasons with Kaizer Chiefs. He joined Premier League side Leeds United and succeeded with the club.
He was the team captain when they enjoyed relative success from 1998 to 2001.
They made it to the UEFA Champions League semi-final, and Radebe was a constant figure in the team.
He took a chance to join Manchester United and AC Milan during his prime.
2. Gordon Hodgson
Hodgson might not be widely known by some football fans in Mzansi as he was part of the old era.
He was born in South Africa to English parents in 1904 and started his football career in Mzansi before joining Liverpool in 1925.
At the Merseyside Reds, he spent 11 years scoring 233 goals in 358 appearances; he's only behind Ian Rush and Roger Hunt in Liverpool's all-time top goalscoring chart.
Despite being born to English parents, Hodgson represented South Africa internationally first and played for the Bafana Bafana.
He later represented England internationally and coached Port Vale before passing on at age 47.
1. Benni McCarthy
McCarthy is regarded as South Africa's greatest as he achieved much more than his counterparts outside the country's shores.
The legendary striker remains the only Mzansi player to win the UEFA Champions League while with Jose Mourinho's Porto and also enjoyed his time with Ajax.
After retirement, he also had the privilege of working as a first-team coach at Manchester United for two seasons under Erik ten Hag.
Tshabalala and Mzansi wish Radebe happy birthday
Briefly News previously reported that former Bafana Bafana skipper Siphiwe Tshabalala joined football fans across Mzansi on Friday, 12 April 2024, to wish Lucas Radebe a happy birthday.
The Bafana Bafana legend celebrated his 55th birthday with wishes from fans across Mzansi and his former side, Leeds United.
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Source: Briefly News
