Year: 1998

Grade in School: 9

Position: Left Back & Left Wing

Favorite Player: Lionel Messi

“Zeemo” is a tireless worker with fantastic endurance and an excellent left foot.  He has the skill and speed to excel in midfield, but at present is playing mostly as an attacking left back and looking very good in that role.  Zeemo is one of the most teachable players we’ve worked with, thanks to a fantastic attitude, great commitment and a top work ethic.

Year: 1998

Grade in School: 9

Position: Goalkeeper

Favorite Player: Moeneeb Josephs

Joshua is a promising goal keeper with excellent reactions, great speed and heaps of courage.  Since joining the Academy, we’ve been pleased to see his technical abilities improve dramatically, and he has worked hard to become a strong communicator.

Year: 1998

Grade in School: 10

Position: Central Midfield

Favorite Player: Lionel Messi

Wade towers above players his age, but once you look past his height, you see a classy, composed midfielder with outstanding technique and a great passing game.  Apart from his physical and technical gifts, Wade is a hardworking and disciplined member of the academy squad, and his mature approach to training will help him make the most of his talent.

Year: 1998

Grade in School: 10

Position: Centerback

Favorite Player: Thiago Silva

Sinethemba is a tough, athletic centerback who covers a huge amount of ground. His speed and endurance allow him to support his teammates and to recover his positioning quickly when needed. Themba’s a hard working, intelligent young man who shows great focus and maturity both in the class room and on the football pitch. Themba received our 2012 Extra Effort Award for the 1998 Group.

Year: 1998

Grade in School: 9

Position: Center Midfield

Favorite Player: Steven Gerrard

Chadley is a hardworking midfielder, small in stature but with a huge heart.  His game is built around excellent passing, strong tackling and a fiercely competitive spirit.  Chadley is an intelligent young player, always willing to learn and is making great progress.

Year: 1998

Grade in School: 8

Position: Winger

Favorite Player: Eric Cantona

Eric is a terrific athlete with fantastic skills. He is a great attacking player who can create opportunities for himself and his teammates. He primarily plays on the wing, but has shown great promise as a striker or attacking midfielder.  His speed and skill make him a constant threat, and he has the ability to score a lot of goals.

Year: 1998

Grade in School: 9

Position: Attacking Midfield & Winger

Favorite Player: Steven Gerrard

The boys call him Matthew “Talent”. He has insane ball skills and is always working on his own to improve. He’s obsessed with the game and is always watching, training, and improving. He has really improved in his intensity, speed and toughness over the last year, which has taken his game to the next level.

Year: 1998

Grade in School: 8

Position: Defender

Favorite Player: Lionel Messi

Lutho is a skillful player with the ability to play anywhere on the field.  We are still trying him different places in an attempt to find his best position.  Lutho is eager to improve and trains really hard.  His work ethic is making him successful on the field and in the classroom.

Year: 1998

Grade in School: 10

Position: Center Forward

Favorite Player: Christiano Ronaldo

Carl is lethal striker with exceptional speed, strength, and skill.  His natural leadership abilities are combined with a work ethic that will take him far.  Off the field, Carl’s dedication and excellent manners set him apart as a young man with a great future ahead.

Year: 1999

Grade in School: 7

Position: Left wing

Favorite player:

Aviwe, or Maga-Maga as his teammates call him, has every trick in the book in his repertoire, and plays with wonderful freedom and confidence.  He’s capable of outrageous pieces of skill, reads the game very well and loves to cut in from his wing and score goals.  Despite his diminutive stature, he gets stuck in and will often draw foul after foul as defenders struggle to keep up with his dancing feet.  Aviwe has overcome significant setbacks in life, including being knocked down by a bus just months into his time at the academy, but his character-growth has made us very proud.

Year: 1999

Grade in School: 8

Position: Centerback

Favorite Player: Lionel Messi

Rion is a total wall at the back. He’s a powerful, composed defender, reads the game well, heads well, and tackles anything. He’s really improved his ball skills since being in the Academy and is confident with the ball at his feet, and passes the ball very well out of the back.  He also adds lots of goals from corners, free kicks, and penalty kicks.

Year: 1999

Grade in School: 8

Position: Defensive Midfielder

Favorite Player: Lionel Messi

Jesse has a fantastic engine and he covers an incredible amount of ground in the heart of midfield. He excels at breaking up play before the opposition get to our defense, and is an integral part of starting many of our attacking movements. He has worked hard on passing the ball quickly as it plays through him, and his speed of play has improved dramatically. Jesse is a natural leader who is respected by all of his team mates.

Year: 1999

Grade in School: 8

Position: Centerback & Defensive Midfield

Favorite Player: Lionel Messi

Sim is a classy player who is equally comfortable at center back or in the centre of midfield.  He’s an intelligent player who always contributes on attack and on defense.  He’s also a hard worker with a winning personality and is universally popular.  Sim received our 2012 Extra Effort Award for the 1999 Group.

Year: 1999

Grade in School: 9

Position: Winger and Left Back

Favorite Player: Nani

Ryan is gifted with pure speed, but he’s worked so hard over the last year to improve his ball skills and his right foot. All the work has paid off to the point that he regularly beats defenders and it’s hard to tell which foot he actually prefers.  He’s a regular creator and scorer of goals from either wing.

Year: 1999

Grade in School: 8

Position: Center Midfield

Favorite Player: Lionel Messi

Wandile is an attacking midfielder capable of magic with the ball at his feet.  His skill, flair, and football brain are exceptional, and he can be a joy to watch.  Wandile is also a universally popular young man with an outgoing personality and a great sense of humor

Year: 1999

Grade in School: 7

Position: Striker

Favorite player: Cristiano Ronaldo

Nazario joined our 1999 group in January 2013 and has immediately become a very popular member of the Ubuntu Group.  He is a tall, athletic striker with good skills and the ability to shoot powerfully with both feet.  Nazario excelled in the 2012 inter-district championships, which is where he caught our eye despite the fact that up until now, he has had very little formal coaching. We are looking forward to seeing him progress in a more intensive coaching environment, which he has embraced with great enthusiasm and determination.

Year: 1999

Grade in School: 8

Position: Right Back

Favorite Player: Marcelo

Robin is an excellent defender and can be quite impenetrable at right back when he’s on his game, which is more consistently the case as he matures.  He plays most of his school football as a striker – testament to his skill and speed, but at a higher level he has thrived in his defensive duties and has a great future as a talented defender.

Year: 1999

Grade in School: 8

Position: Winger

Favorite Player: Lionel Messi

Alex is a supremely skilled attacking player who creates beautiful things on the field. He is a fantastic dribbler and shoots the ball with great technique. Over the last year Alex’s self-confidence has really blossomed, which has allowed him to contribute more and more on the field. He’s added genuine toughness fighting for the ball to his dribbling wizardry, which make him a very difficult player to play against.

Year: 1999

Grade in School: 8

Position: Attacking Midfield

Favorite Player: Lionel Messi

Keano caught our eye initially by displaying wonderful touch and great vision.  Since joining the Academy, his progression has been arguably the most dramatic.  He has become an exceptional athlete and a superb playermaker in the attacking midfield role.  His vision, passing and shooting from distance are outstanding.