Sanlam Features Lesley Manyathela
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 Lesley Manyathela... Only a young Benni scored goals faster than Lesley "I have to have discipline and self-confidence in my skills and abilities. But, make no mistake, competing with great players like Pollen Ndlanya, Jerry Sikhosana, Dennis Lota and Phumlani Mkhize for a starting place is a hell of a job!" These were the words of a fresh-faced, 19-year-old Lesley Manyathela in edition 214 of Soccer Laduma in 2001. The teenager was just about to embark on a short, but remarkable, career that saw him tally an incredible 48 goals in 73 appearances for Orlando Pirates. A born finisher of the highest order, he struck a flood of goals at virtually every level he played. For the South African U20 national side, he plundered nine goals in 16 appearances. When he was just starting out with Bafana Bafana, he scored nearly a goal every other game, with four strikes in nine appearances. The world's best strikers are judged on whether they can score a goal every other game (or one goal per 180 minutes played). For Bucs, Manyathela's strike rate was a sensational one goal every 136 minutes played. To put this into perspective, a young Benni McCarthy scored at a rate of one goal for every 132 minutes of action at Seven Stars. It was also Manyathela that replaced Benni in an international friendly against England in May 2003. Yet, tragically, three months later he was dead, his vast potential largely unfulfilled. 'Slow Poison' was a freakish phenomenon Perhaps the most amazing aspect of Manyathela's game was that he lacked real pace, particularly off the ball. In some matches, he'd disappear completely in the build-up play. But what he had was God-given – he just knew how to put the ball in the back of the net. The nickname 'Slow Poison' was a perfect description for a master marksman who wasn't known for his pace, yet could score goals by the bundle! In a country not known for producing prolific centre forwards, Manyathela was a freakish phenomenon. His class as a finisher was comparable to that of Benni, Bafana's all-time leading scorer who experienced the magic of World Cups, Champions League finals and the glamour of the English Premier League. Lesley was 21 when his car flipped over on a remote, dusty road near his home in Limpopo on the 9th of August 2003, just days after returning from trials in Europe with French champions, Lyon. Benni was 25 and about to rejoin Jose Mourinho at Porto. It is only in our dreams now that we can imagine the kind of bright football future which might have been for Manyathela. There is a saying that goes: There is a tide in the affairs of men, which, if taken at the flood, leads on to fortune. Unfortunately fate decided not to present 'Slow Poison' with this opportunity. Sohlala Sinikhumbula. He played like van Persie or Falcao - Augusto Palacios, Pirates Youth Technical Director "I first saw him play at Thohoyandou Stadium. He had the height and he was the type of striker who is always in the right position in the area. He was a goalscorer! I remember he went on trials to Greece for 10 days. Roy Barreto was in charge of Pirates and we were going to play in the Vodacom Challenge. We were training at the new Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban, and we were sleeping at the hotel in town. After training, Lesley asked the coach if he could run from the stadium to the hotel. Roy said no, but I said, 'If he wants to run, let him do it!' Back at the hotel, I asked Lesley why he'd run. He said, 'In SA we are wrong. We train once in the day, but in Greece they train morning and afternoon.' He was so hungry! I also remember his first game; he scored two goals against Moroka Swallows. Yes, he had a lack of pace without the ball, but with the ball he could beat you and was quick. He reminded me of Robin van Persie or Radamel Falcao… that's how good he was."
