Surprise Ralani's prodigious talents might have been discovered relatively late, but thanks to the School of Excellence's stellar recruitment programme, the same is unlikely to happen to his son Emile, who at 15 is already setting the scene alight.
Read: Pirates Unveil Their New Kit
Ralani came through the famed Stars of Africa Academy under the guidance of experienced development coach Farouk Khan.
The winger made his way to Europe straight from the academy as a 22-year-old signing for Swedish outfit Helsingborgs.
He would spend close to a decade in Europe where he enjoyed stints in Denmark and a number of Swedish teams before local clubs took note and he joined Cape Town City at the age of 31. One could say that 'Surprise' experienced his big break at the age of 34 when he joined Mamelodi Sundowns.
While Ralani received his flowers quite late on in his career – the same cannot be said for his son Emile Witbooi, who at 15 is already setting the scene alight in what has proven to be one of the best possible football environments for budding talents.
The School of Excellence through the years has produced the likes of Steven Pienaar, Ninja Mofokeng, Daine Klate, Elrio Van Heerden, and Keagan Dolly amongst others and now Witbooi appears to be the latest star to hail from the Esselen Park-based institution.
Already at 15, he has reportedly garnered the interest of Manchester United, has been selected as part of the first-ever South Africa U16 team and in a recent provincial tournament walked away with the Midfielder of the Tournament , Player of the Tournament and joint top goal-scorer awards respectively.
The School of Excellence's Lefa Mathebula explains how the young gem was discovered.
"Emile was brought to our attention by Walter Steenbok, just before he was appointed as [SAFA] Technical Director. I think he was involved in scouting throughout so that was after he had been taken to other PSL teams and they were not interested. So, he called me and gave me a profile and I said, 'Bring him over let's have a look'. Then he came one Saturday, and we were not disappointed. Even though he was small, you know, but you could see the potential was there. And then we took him through the process of talent identification so that we comply with all the requirements, but we knew that he will definitely make it because he fitted the type of profile of players that we recruit. So that's how he joined the school," Mathebula told the Siya crew.
"I'm speaking from a point that we saw. I don't know how he was before that but if you look at his interaction with the ball. Obviously, you can't say it comes from elsewhere than the father and it's probably because of how he's been trained and that complimented that. But when you look at him, he's able to use both feet, it's not something that you easily train. He is very quick, creative and he has explosive speed. So for me, I believe it's something that he inherited from what we normally say is a gift. But in this case, we are able to link it with the parent and the father in particular. When you look at the boy, they play more or less the same style of football. They carry the ball, they are quick, they're able to weave through tight spaces, not afraid to take players on. So, I think it's something also inherited, but also nurtured as well because he's been coached throughout."
Read: Al Ahly To Shut Down Percy Tau's Premier League Return?
You must be SIGNED IN to read and post comments.
