SA SKIPPER SET FOR MILESTONE
South Africa skipper Aaron Mokoena will reach a massive personal milestone today if he lines up in defence against Guatemala in an international friendly in Polokwane.
Mokoena will win his 100th cap for his country, the first South African to do so, and one of a very select group of international footballers who are in the '100 Club'.
It is just another of a number of records that the 29-year-old already holds for his country, and a marks a successful career for a player who has always maintained that soccer was never his favourite sport, and that he had to be persuaded to play.
"Winning 100 caps would mean a lot to me although the most important thing is to represent my country. I am honoured to be on the verge of reaching this achievement," Mokoena says.
His career with the national side began over 11 years ago when he made his debut against Botswana in a Cosafa Castle Cup match in February 1999. He remains the youngest player to wear a Bafana Bafana jersey, having been just 18 years, two months and 26 days when he played in that match.
At the time he beat the record of Quinton Fortune by more than a year, though Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder Lebohang Mokoena has subsequently moved into second place behind 'Mbazo'.
In fact, it could have been even earlier as he was included in the squad for the 1998 African Nations Cup finals at the age of 17, but did not play in any of the matches in Burkina Faso as Bafana ended runners-up to Egypt. He has, however, competed in the 2002, 2004 and 2008 Nations Cup finals.
Born in Boipatong, he was a junior footballer at Real Rangers, but started his professional career at Jomo Cosmos. He soon moved to Europe though and was the subject of a tug-of-war between Ajax Amsterdam in the Netherlands and German club Bayer Leverkusen. It was settled when the Dutch club paid US$1-million (R7.5-million) for him.
He played at 2000 Sydney Olympics for the Under-23 team, for whom he won 32 caps, alongside the likes of Matthew Booth, Benni McCarthy and Fortune, and he was then loaned by Ajax to Belgian side Germinal Beerschot in early 2001 and later sold to the club.
He played at the 2002 FIFA World Cup finals in Japan and South Korea, where Bafana were desperately unlucky not to reach the second round, missing out on a place in the knockout stages on goal-difference to Paraguay.
He signed for Racing Genk in 2003, the current club of compatriot Anele Ngcongca, and after two successful years there was sold to English Premiership side Blackburn Rovers in January 2005.
He was largely used in the midfield in England and enjoyed success with Rovers, before signing a three-year contract with fellow Premiership side Portsmouth in May, 2009.
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