A tournament scout was left stunned after watching Surprise Ralani's son at the 2024 Engen Knockout Challenge in Cape Town on the weekend.
PLAYER PROFILE
Name: Emile Witbooi
Club: Cape Town City
Position: Attacking midfielder/winger
Age: 15
Preferred foot: Right
Player traits: Reads the game well, excellent passer of the ball
SCOUT REPORT
Soccer Laduma caught up with former SuperSport United, Mamelodi Sundowns and Cape Town Spurs centre-back Clayton Daniels to profile the talented teenager, whose exploits at the Cape Town leg of the 2024 Engen Knockout Challenge saw him named as the Player of the Tournament. His confident and dazzling displays for Cape Town City on the weekend left Daniels with his jaw on the ground, and that is coming from someone who has played at the highest level in South Africa for many, many years. The 39-year-old Daniels discussed Surprise Ralani's son's ability on the ball, and likened the attacking midfielder to a young Jabu Pule.
What stood out to you the most about Witbooi?
"Everything. I haven't seen a player like that in a long, long time, with such quality and the natural football ability that he has. I haven't seen a player like that in a very, very long time. He's a No. 10, he sometimes plays on the wing. It's just the way he... you know... his finesse on the ball. The way he carries himself. A good passer of the ball, a good reader of the game."
Which professional footballer in South Africa or abroad does he share a similar profile with?
"The boy just arrived on the stage as well, but they are quite similar. If you look at the Orlando Pirates player, [Relebohile] Mofokeng. They're quite similar. I know [Mofokeng] is not a high-profile player yet, but they've got a similar style. He [Witbooi] is just a very, very exciting player to watch. If you go back to Jabu Pule when he was at Kaizer Chiefs. I think he's got a little bit of Jabu Pule in him, but just with a higher football IQ. A little bit better than Pule in terms of penetrating space. He's 15 years old and got Player of the Tournament at the Engen. Like I said, I haven't seen a player like this in a long time. He reminds me of Jabu Pule in his prime."
How important is the Engen Knockout Challenge for young players in South Africa?
"It's very important. First of all, it's a good platform for young players to showcase themselves, to see how far they've progressed over the years. It's very important they play these kinds of tournaments to test themselves because normally in the LFA, you're only playing against the players you're used to playing against. Year in and year out, the same clubs. But now they've got the opportunity to play against professional academies like Stellenbosch, like Cape Town City, Cape Town Spurs and also the likes of Ubuntu. These academies, these boys are training maybe five or six days a week, and your normal teams in the LFA, they only train three times a week. So they can see the difference and the gap. Where they can maybe close the gap is by having more training sessions. I know it can be difficult with other local clubs, but it's so important for them to see the different levels. If you want to become the next best 18-year-old at the Engen, you have to train more."
