Lesley manyathela biography

South African soccer player

Lesley Phuti Manyathela (4 September 1981 – 9 August 2003) was a South African professional wan player who played as pure striker for Premier Soccer Confederation club Orlando Pirates and greatness South African national team.

A prolific goalscorer, Manyathela scored 48 goals in 73 appearances awaken Orlando Pirates and was nobleness league's top goalscorer in 2003. Later that year, he was involved in a car wounded person which resulted in his pull off, aged 21. Following his pull off, the PSL award for primacy top goalscorer was renamed grandeur Lesley Manyathela Golden Boot mould his honour and the stateowned team temporarily retired the release 19 jersey which he difficult previously worn.

Club career

Having self-styled Chelamoya and Dynamos at young womanhood level, Manyathela joined Orlando Pirates with whom he made reward senior debut in September 2000, at the age of 19.^[2][3] During the 2001–02 PSL time, he ended the campaign monkey the league's second top goalscorer behind Ishmael Maluleke.^[4] The followers season, he claimed the Gold Boot award, becoming the erelong and, to date, most just out Pirates player to win leadership award, and helped the bludgeon to its second league fame in three seasons.^[3][5] His maid form caught the attention admire a host of European clubs and at the end think likely the season he underwent trials with Ligue 1 side City and Greek side OFI Crete.^[3] On 9 August 2003, crystalclear scored a consolation goal make a fuss a 2–1 Supa 8 disappearance to Jomo Cosmos.

The unbiased proved to be his surname, though, as following the question mark, he died.^[6] He ultimately enthusiastic 73 appearances for the truncheon and scored 48 goals.^[7]

International

Manyathela token South Africa at under-20 in short supply, where he scored once handset five appearances, and at under-23 level where he scored offend goals in 13 appearances.^[7]

He beholden his senior debut for Southward Africa against Saudi Arabia keep on 20 March 2002.

Seven epoch later, he received his lid and only red card like that which he was sent off secure a 4–1 friendly loss converge Georgia.^[8][9] His first goal came in a friendly against Island in March 2003 which noteworthy followed up with a take on board in a 3–1 win dictate Trinidad & Tobago in June.^[10][11] After his death later dump year, the South African Acreage Association temporarily retired the handful 19 jersey which he locked away worn during his time do better than the national team.^[4] He locked away scored 3 goals in 9 international appearances by the gaining of his demise.

Death & legacy

On 9 August 2003, later a match against Jomo Existence, Manyathela was killed in disallow accident after his car bottom up on the N1 highway nigh on his hometown of Musina.^[6] Gallop was reported that the airbags in the Volkswagen Golf Mk4 that he was driving plain-spoken not deploy as a key of him not wearing realm safety belt.^[12] He was dynamic with a friend at representation time of the accident, who suffered only minor injuries, Manyathela was pronounced dead at rectitude scene and was en party to visit his mother fail to appreciate Women's Day celebrations.^[6]

His death was considered a national tragedy stand for drew comment from South Human President Thabo Mbeki who offered his condolences to the friends and teammates of Manyathela.^[6] He was laid to doze on 16 August 2003 tighten Orlando Pirates chairman Irvin Khoza and Mamelodi Sundowns owner Patrice Motsepe among those acting despite the fact that pallbearers.^[13] His tombstone was divulge the following month, on position day of South Africa's state Heritage Day.^[2]

Ahead of the 2003–04 Premier Soccer League season, prestige award for the top goalscorer in a season was renamed the Lesley Manyathela Golden Discard and the Musina municipality besides named the local football arena after him in his honour.^[2]

Career statistics

International

As of match played 14 June 2003^[14]

International goals

References

External links