Remembering Our Football Heroes - Scara Ngobese
Soccer Laduma and Sanlam Sky pay homage to South Africa's great players and coaches who were taken before their time. While they may be gone, their exploits on the field of play will never be forgotten! This week we celebrate the life and career of the late, great Emmanuel 'Scara' Ngobese... Scara personified 'kasi flavour' It was January 2005. Kaizer Chiefs were set to play SuperSport United in the Coca Cola Cup final in Bloemfontein. Amakhosi managed to edge Matsatsantsa a Pitori in a 1-0 win, which saw striker at that time Collins Mbesuma being the man to guide the team to victory. Despite Mbesuma netting the winner, however, another name grabbed the headlines the following day. Emmanuel 'Scara' Ngobese stamped his name all over the fixture by giving SuperSport right back Phil Evans a game to forget as he bamboozled the defender with his dazzling array of flicks and tricks. This was just one of many mesmerising displays Scara managed to conjure up for the Glamour Boys during his time there, orchestrating the emotions of the fans every step of the way. Scara was indeed a crowd pleaser and the way he manipulated the ball was truly phenomenal. His name alone had the fans flocking to football stadiums just to get a glimpse of this enigmatic football talent in action. Even off the bench, the sight of Scara warming up on the touchlines would have 40 000 spectators out of their seats, excited and eager to see what tricks he had up his sleeve on any given day! Playing football like skating on ice One of the most amazing characteristics of Ngobese's style of play was his flawless technique. He would glide about the pitch in his own time as if skating on ice. When drifting out wide, this was when his skills truly emerged, perhaps because the fans were so much closer to the touchline, pleading with him to give them something to remember for their trip home. It if was not a 'Tsamaya', it would be 'Shibobos'. After pulling off a masterpiece Shibobo, Scara would excite the boisterous fans with his trademark move – the '360'! It's clear Scara never forgot his roots and always pledged to play the game with grace and style. Many skilfully gifted South African footballers learn their trades on gravel patches or dusty fields while growing up, and this was an element of Scara's game that never, ever left him. Yes, he may have played on carpet pitches as a professional footballer, but rest assured… he felt the gravel and dirt under his magical feet. Despite being a Diski superstar, what perhaps really made Scara special was that he played as if he could have fitted into any international football team. He had the flamboyance of a Brazilian and he could dictate the rhythm of play much like a Spanish midfield maestro. One could have mistaken him for a darker version of French legend Zinedine Zidane. Nothing could stop Scara on the pitch and he almost always had the upper hand over his opponents, the cheers of the fans motivating him to do something extra special. Tragically only something unrelated to football could have stopped the legend from playing his beloved Diski. Scara fell ill, and on the 11th May 2010 tuberculosis finally got the better of him. In that moment we lost one of the most iconic figures in South African football. Gone, but never forgotten. Remembering the Scara 360! Manchester United legend, Paul Scholes, must've been feeling dizzy when he experienced Scara Ngobese's amazing 360 degree tsamaya on a football pitch for the first time. Indeed, one of world football's most technically accomplished centre midfielders must have thought, "Wow, I wonder if Alex Ferguson will sign him for Man United!?" It was Ngobese's trademark move and you'd be fortunate to see anything comparable in a circus act. Standing stationary with the ball at his feet, 'Scara' would spin around 360 degrees while dragging the ball in a full circle with his left foot. It mattered little that he often did it in his own half under zero pressure – it got the supporters off their feet with sheer delight and astonishment! He did it against Scholes during United's pre-season tour way back in the mid-2000s, a moment of dynamic Mzansi self-expression against the world's best that ought to be remembered forever! It said to the world, "We are just as good as you and we aren't afraid! Just wait until we learn how to score some goals as well!"
