This is the story of a young, promising goalkeeper who thought he was ready for the big time. Unfortunately he didn't bargain on dealing with 'Chincha Guluva' Motaung, better known as Kaizer. By the end of the game, Junior Bene, younger brother of Jimmy, was devastated and his soccer dreams were shattered. What happened? Read on, and you'll find out in this week's 'episode' taken from Soccer Laduma's edition 295 of 13 November 2002.
Peter: Gentlemen!
Ace:Alive and kicking!
Banks:Oh yes.
Peter: Okay, we're ready. As they say, let's do it!
Ace:This story is about the day Kaizer Motaung ruined the career of a very promising young goalkeeper.
Peter: Not you, Banksie.
Banks:Hey, take it easy … of course it wasn't me.
Ace: Ha, ha.
Peter: Okay.
Banks: Remember Jimmy Bene the great goalkeeper who played for Moroka Swallows and also played for a while for us at Kaizer Chiefs.
Peter: Yes, of course. We've told a few great Jimmy Bene stories in the column and he also featured on our Golden Oldies page.
Ace: Ja, Jimmy, what a legend. Just to remind the Soccer Laduma readers, Jimmy was a great goalkeeper and a very, very tough character who took no nonsense.
Peter: Surely Kaizer Motaung didn't ruin his career.
Ace:No, no, of course not.
Banks:It was poor Junior Bene, Jimmy's younger brother. Everyone called him Junior and he was also a goalkeeper. Funny enough he showed a lot of promise and soon he was making a name for himself as a goalkeeper. He was doing so well that he eventually became a regular at Moroka Swallows.
Ace: And before the big game against Kaizer Chiefs, all the Swallows supporters and officials were saying this is the game where Junior Bene is finally going to show that he is a junior no more, that he is a senior goalkeeper and that he will stop everything that Chiefs have to throw at him.
Peter: Brave words.
Banks:It wasn't actually Junior Bene who was saying it, it was the management and the supporters. They were putting poor young Junior Bene under pressure. It was difficult enough for him to follow in his big brother Jimmy's footsteps … now he had even more pressure.
Ace:True.
Peter: And how did the game go?
Banks:With 10 minutes to go, we were losing 2-1 to Swallows and Junior Bene was having an okay game. He was doing nothing wrong but nothing spectacular either.
Ace: Then we got a free-kick just off the halfway line and we took it quickly by passing the ball to a teammate who was close by to start a passing movement.
Banks: The next thing Kaizer started telling everyone that the next free kick we got that was far out, everyone must leave for him.
Peter: Why?
Ace:You see Kaizer was clever. He had vision and this is a good lesson for all youngsters. In fact, it's a good lesson for the professionals of today as well. Kaizer was deep-thinking and he was always trying to outsmart the opposition. He noticed with the last free-kick that was far from goal that Jimmy Bene, who was a short goalkeeper, used to stand on the edge of his big box - the 18 yard line.
Peter: Big mistake with the likes of Kaizer and Ace around.
Banks:Yes … lucky we got another free kick, this time almost dead centre of the field and just off the halfway line. Kaizer quickly went to take it. Sure enough, Junior Bene was standing way out of the goals on the edge of the big box. Neither he nor any of the other Swallows players ever thought that Kaizer or anyone would dare take a shot from there.
Ace: But Kaizer knew what he was doing and the next thing Kaizer hit a rocket with his left foot, the ball sailed 40 metres, over Junior's head, and into the back of the net … 2-2. The Chiefs supporters and us players went crazy for such a brilliant goal.
Banks:But, as you can imagine, the Swallows supporters and players were looking angrily at Junior Bene who couldn't believe what had happened to him.
Peter: Shame, poor Junior.
Ace: But it gets worse for him …
Peter: Oh no.
Banks: Oh yes … ha, ha. Now Kaizer was in the mood. He was really buzzing. Let me tell you when players like Kaizer, Ace and Computer started getting into the groove, anything could happen! No one could stop them - especially Kaizer, who was a dribbling wizard. The next thing Kaizer and Ace played a couple of one-twos that beat about six Swallows defenders. Suddenly Kaizer was left one-on-one with poor Junior Bene. Kaizer ran straight at Junior and then as Junior moved, Kaizer just stopped the ball dead and he calmly chipped the ball over poor Junior's head once again to make it 3-2 to Kaizer Chiefs.
Ace: What a goal, once more.
Banks: You can't play against ability like that. After the game the Swallows supporters wanted to kill Junior Bene and that was the last game of professional soccer Junior ever played. He said, "That's enough." So ja, Kaizer made him retire ha, ha.
Ace:Kaizer was a helluva player and when he was in the mood, he was a joy to play with. Kaizer had lots and lots of tricks as well - he was sensational.
Peter: A true legend and still doing fantastically, albeit in a different role today. Well, guys, time to be like Junior Bene!
Ace: Ha, ha … take it easy.
Banks: Just like Sunday morning. But my last word must be some sympathy for Jimmy Bene. You know it's always the poor goalkeeper who gets the blame … Junior was okay.
Ha, ha, ha, what do you guys think of this incredible story from our legends?
Please share your views in the comments section below.
Cheers.
