New Zealand side Auckland City FC's Twitter timeline was painted with messages of condolences for the club's legend Keryn Jordan, who passed away on Monday morning after a long battle with cancer.
It speaks volumes about how highly-rated the 37-year-old was and still is in the land of the long white cloud. It's a typical story of a South African footballer who perhaps did not get as much credit as he should have on the home front, yet earned legendary status in foreign land.
Jordan is best remembered for his spell at Manning Rangers, where he won the league title under Gordon Igesund in the 1996/97 season. He was a born striker with an eye for goal and, typical of a deadly finisher, was often at the right place at the right time. He moved to New Zealand with his family in 2004 and went on to score an incredible 76 goals in 100 matches for Auckland City. He retired in 2010, following persistent knee troubles.
At 37, he should still have been seeing out his career in topflight football, especially since he was a clean-living athlete, but the odds were stacked against him health-wise. Last year he had two life-saving brain surgeries to remove a number of cancerous tumours from his head and also had to undergo numerous operations as well as chemotherapy treatment.
How sad.
When I first learnt about his condition a few years ago, my heart really went out to him because he was such a good man and, besides, no one deserves to go through such a scary and life-threatening situation. However, on the few occasions that I had the privilege to interview him while he was away in New Zealand and on my Facebook chats with him, he came across as quite the gentleman who was willing to fight against the odds. Admirably, he spoke openly about his sad condition.
He also spoke glowingly about his 14-year-old son Liam, who is a budding footballer. Jordan told me that Liam is "definitely a much better player than I was...an all round player...and he's definitely one for the future". One can imagine how he must have felt when he had to leave Liam behind in New Zealand and come back to South Africa, where he was to receive treatment for cancer. Jordan's ill-health meant he could not work, so his friends set up the Liam Jordan Support Fund in order to raise money for the education of Liam, as well as the Help Keryn Jordan Campaign.
New Zealand football legend and Oceania Footballer of the Century, Wynton Rufer, had nothing but praise for Liam, who plays for his academy, when interviewed by one of the sport websites in that country, saying, "He's a young mature lad way beyond his years, not just on the football park where he plays against kids a lot older than himself, but the way he presents himself and his character... it's quite amazing."
One could write a book about a footballer of the calibre of Jordan. In his prime he enthralled us with his play and knack for scoring goals. Because, what is football without goals? Perhaps more importantly, what is life minus Keryn Jordan?
Catch you on the rebound!
By: Lunga Adam
Follow Lunga on Twitter: @Lunga110
