South African soccer player
John "Shoes" Lesiba Moshoeu
(18 December 1965 ? 21 April 2015) was a South African
football
player who was part of the
South African
team that won the
1996 African Cup of Nations
. He played as an attacking midfielder.
[1]
Shoes, as he was best known to fans, was born in Ga Mashashane,
Limpopo
and grew up in
Diepkloof
,
Soweto
. He played for Blue Whales in
Diepkloof
.
Kaizer Chiefs
signed him to their reserve team.
[2]
Career
[
edit
]
Giant Blackpool
[
edit
]
He started his career in Diepkloof with an amateur team called Diepkloof Blue Wales and was later recruited to join
Giant Blackpool
playing in the OK League for R3,000. He made his professional debut from Giant Blackpool in a 2?1 loss to
Arcadia Shepherds
on 1 March 1987. He scored his first goal in a 4?3 loss to
Wits University
on 18 April 1987.
Fani Madida
and Geelboy Gomma Gomma Masango joined him later at Blackpool, making up the "Triple M" combination .
[3]
[4]
He helped Blackpool reach the 1991 JPS Cup Final, where he ended up on the losing side against Dynamos at
Ellis Park Stadium
.
[5]
At Blackpool, Moshoeu scored 75 goals in 175 matches.
[6]
Kaizer Chiefs
[
edit
]
Moshoeu chose to move to Kaizer Chiefs over Orlando Pirates for a then record fee of R250,000 after the two teams were neck and neck for his services in 1993 after having gone for trials at
Wolverhampton Wanderers
. His stay was short-lived as he left in mid-season having only played 14 games.
[6]
[7]
Before joining Chiefs, he had been sidelined for six months with a broken leg.
[8]
In Turkey
[
edit
]
He later signed with FIFA agent Marcelo Houseman and transferred to Turkish club
Genclerbirligi
after the President Ilhan Cavcav flew to Johannesburg to see him play. He also played for
Kocaelispor
. He joined
Fenerbahce
for $2 million.
[8]
where he was a favourite with the fans. In his time overseas, Moshoeu was coached by
Franz Beckenbauer
and
Joachim Low
.
[9]
He won a Turkish Cup in 1996/97 while at Kocaelispor.
[4]
Kaizer Chiefs (2nd spell)
[
edit
]
He went back to
Kaizer Chiefs
at age 37 where, at his vintage age, he continued to excite his old fans with the same enthusiasm and skill in 2002. His time at the club saw him play 89 games and scoring 23 goals to his name. Moshoeu played a pivotal role for Chiefs in the 2003/04 season, Moshoeu finished as Chiefs top goalscorer with 11 goals in all competitions, including two hat-tricks. The first was against Black Leopards in a 5?0 win and the second against his future club, AmaZulu in a 4?1 win.
Moshoeu assisted in ending Chiefs league title drought that had lasted 11 years. This wasn't his only title at the club. His trophy case acquired two Coca-Cola Cups (2003/04 and 2004/05), a second league title followed in the 2004/2005, and the Absa Cup in the 2005/06 season. He played at Chiefs until 2006.
[4]
AmaZulu
[
edit
]
He played for
AmaZulu
until 2008 at the age of 42. He holds the record for the oldest goal scorer in the PSL when he scored for AmaZulu against Kaizer Chiefs in 2007 at the age of 41 years, 11 months and 17 days.
[8]
Later career
[
edit
]
There were rumours that Moshoeu would make a comeback in March 2009 with
Orlando Pirates
or
Bidvest Wits
which he trained at but the deals never materialised.
[7]
The
attacking midfielder
announced on 6 November 2010 his comeback with
Brian Baloyi
as owners of a South African club Alexandra United FC.
[10]
In 2011/2012, Moshoeu scored 20 goals for Alex United in the
Vodacom League
. He called time on his career on 11 May 2014 when he resigned from the
ABC Motsepe League
club after following a fallout with the club's director, Nick Nicolaou.
[9]
On 21 April 2015, he died of cancer.
[11]
When asked about retirement, after he turned 40, Moshoeu said, "I'm not a cheese. I don't get mouldy with age."
[8]
International career
[
edit
]
After recovering from a broken leg and being sidelined for six months,
[8]
he made his debut for
South Africa
on 10 January 1993 and scored on debut against Botswana with
Rudolph Seale
.
[6]
He formed a vital part of the team that won the
1996 Africa Cup of Nations
, and was second top scorer with four goals. Moshoeu later said that he broke down in tears when asked for an autograph by a white fan after the game, only two years after
South Africa's first racially open elections
.
[12]
He was also part of the squad that travelled to France for the
1998 FIFA World Cup
.
[13]
He represented South Africa in six major tournaments. He is the oldest player to play in national colours for South Africa. His last match was against Nigeria in
Monastir, Tunisia
on 31 March 2004 at the age of 38 years, one month and 13 days.
[8]
He accumulated 73 caps and eight goals in 68 starts.
Moshoeu was known as "Shoes" by fans, who paid homage to him and
Mark Fish
by buying shoes and fish.
[12]
Personal life
[
edit
]
Moshoeu's family history is traced back to
Alexandra
where his mother Reena Moshoeu resided.
[14]
Moshoeu was a car enthusiast. Between 1985 and 2003, Moshoeu owned nine cars. His first was a
Toyota Corolla
1.6 while during his time at Chiefs he owned a silver
Porsche Boxster
and a red
Mini Cooper S
.
[15]
Moshoeu never got married and he is the father of four children, two boys, two girls.
[16]
Death
[
edit
]
Moshoeu died on 21 April 2015 at the Morningside Hospital after a long battle with
stomach cancer
. Moshoeu was also admitted to the Charlotte Maxeke Hospital before his death.
[17]
Moshoeu's funeral service was held at the Grace Bible Church in
Soweto
and was buried at
Westpark Cemetery
in
Randburg
on 27 April 2015.
[18]
Statistics
[
edit
]
International goals
[
edit
]
[19]
#
|
Date
|
Venue
|
Opponent
|
Score
|
Result
|
Competition
|
1
|
10 January 1993
|
National Stadium
,
Gaborone
,
Botswana
|
Botswana
|
2
?0
|
2?0
|
International friendly
|
2
|
13 January 1996
|
FNB Stadium
,
Johannesburg
,
South Africa
|
Cameroon
|
3
?0
|
3?0
|
1996 African Cup of Nations
|
3
|
27 January 1996
|
FNB Stadium
,
Johannesburg
,
South Africa
|
Algeria
|
2
?1
|
2?1
|
1996 African Cup of Nations
|
4
|
31 January 1996
|
FNB Stadium
,
Johannesburg
,
South Africa
|
Ghana
|
1
?0
|
3?0
|
1996 African Cup of Nations
|
5
|
31 January 1996
|
FNB Stadium
,
Johannesburg
,
South Africa
|
Ghana
|
3
?1
|
3?1
|
1996 African Cup of Nations
|
6
|
18 September 1996
|
Athletics Stadium
,
Johannesburg
,
South Africa
|
Australia
|
1
?0
|
2?0
|
Four Nations Cup
|
7
|
28 April 1999
|
Idrætsparken
,
Copenhagen
,
Denmark
|
Denmark
|
1
?0
|
1?1
|
International friendly
|
8
|
8 October 2003
|
Setsoto Stadium
,
Maseru
,
Lesotho
|
Lesotho
|
3
?0
|
3?0
|
International friendly
|
Correct as of 9 March 2017
[20]
[21]
[22]
|
References
[
edit
]
- ^
https://www.citizen.co.za/rosebank-killarney-gazette/sports-news/local-sports/2015/04/23/shoes-moshoeu-a-gentle-giant-has-fallen/
- ^
https://mg.co.za/article/2015-04-24-00-goodbye-to-shoes-moshoeu-one-of-the-most-gifted-players-ever/
- ^
"Redirecting..."
www.sundayworld.co.za
. Archived from
the original
on 20 November 2018
. Retrieved
2 June
2018
.
- ^
a
b
c
"Shoes Moshoeu: A midfield maestro that stole South African hearts | Goal.com"
.
www.goal.com
. Retrieved
2 June
2018
.
- ^
"John 'Shoes' Moshoeu passes on"
.
kickoff.com
. Archived from
the original
on 9 May 2015
. Retrieved
21 April
2015
.
- ^
a
b
c
Independent Newspapers Online.
"Shoes Moshoeu fact file"
.
Independent Online
.
- ^
a
b
"The Dirty Tackle: WATN? John
Shoes
Moshoeu"
.
thedirtytackle.net
. Archived from
the original
on 10 April 2015.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
Gleeson, Mark.
"Goodbye to 'Shoes' Moshoeu, one of the most gifted players ever"
.
The M&G Online
. Archived from
the original
on 16 January 2019
. Retrieved
2 June
2018
.
- ^
a
b
"Shoes Moshoeu Was Frustrated With Things at Alex United"
.
South Africa
.
- ^
"Moshoeu Signs For Alexandra United"
. Archived from
the original
on 8 November 2010.
- ^
"
'Shoes' loses battle with cancer"
. sport24.co.za. 21 April 2015
. Retrieved
21 April
2015
.
- ^
a
b
Djazmi, Mani (3 February 2022).
"Africa Cup of Nations: South Africa's 1996 triumph and its role in post-apartheid change"
. BBC Sport
. Retrieved
3 February
2022
.
- ^
"1998 FIFA World Cup - South Africa Squad"
. Archived from
the original
on 15 June 2009.
- ^
"Rest in peace, Shoes Moshoeu - City Press"
. Archived from
the original
on 22 April 2015
. Retrieved
22 April
2015
.
- ^
"City Press, Sondag 31 Augustus 2003, p. 3: With Shoes and wheels star drives and scores"
.
m24arg02.naspers.com
. Archived from
the original
on 22 April 2015
. Retrieved
2 February
2022
.
- ^
Mothupi, Morena.
"Family, former teammates pay tribute to Moshoeu"
. Retrieved
2 June
2018
.
- ^
"Shoes Moshoeu dies at the age of 49 | Randburg Sun"
.
Randburg Sun
. 21 April 2015
. Retrieved
2 June
2018
.
- ^
Mothupi, Morena.
"Hundreds gather to bid Shoes Moshoeu farewell"
. Retrieved
2 June
2018
.
- ^
"1 ? 10 January 1993 v Botswana, 2nd, 2?0, Friendly, Gaborone2 ? 13 January 1996 v Cameroon, 3rd, 3-0, AFCON, Joburg3 ? 27 Jan 1996 v Algeria, 2nd, 2-1, AFCON, Joburg4 - 31 Jan 1996 v Ghana, 1st, 1-1, AFCON, Joburg5 - 31 Jan 1996 v Ghana, 3rd, 3-1, AFCON, Joburg6 - 18 Sep 1996 v Australia, 1st, 2-0, Four Nations Cup, Joburg7 - 28 Apr 1999 v Denmark, 1st, 1-1, Friendly, Copenhagen8 - 8 Oct 2003 v Lesotho, 1st, 3-0, Friendly, Maseru"
.
South African soccer news
.
- ^
"South Africa - International Matches 1992-1995"
.
RSSSF
.
- ^
"South Africa - International Matches 1996-2000"
.
RSSSF
.
- ^
"South Africa - International Matches 2001-2005"
.
RSSSF
.
External links
[
edit
]