Lucas Radebe

• South Africa

Lucas Valeriu Radebe OIS (born April 12, 1969) is a South African former professional footballer who played as a centre back. He began playing in South Africa with Kaizer Chiefs, before transferring to Leeds United, where he played 256 matches for the Yorkshire side. During his spells at these clubs, he picked up the nicknames "Rhoo" and "The Chief". He became captain of Leeds United and also of the South African national team, most notably at World Cup 2002. Nelson Mandela said of Radebe: "This is my hero."[3] He also captained Kaizer Chiefs during his time at Chiefs. Radebe was born to Emily and Johannes Radebe in the Diepkloof section of Soweto, near Johannesburg, as the fourth of 11 children. He attended the local Bopasenatla Secondary School[4][5] until he was 15 years old. His parents sent him to one of the former homelands in Grade 10, Bophuthatswana, as a way to keep him safe from the violent neighbourhood of Diepkloof Zone Four in Soweto. There he attended Ngotwane High School near Zeerust.[5] There he joined the ICL Birds in the now-defunct Bophuthatswana Soccer League, and was spotted by Patrick Ntsoelengoe who recruited him to one of South Africa's top clubs, the Kaizer Chiefs, in 1989