Bester remembers Tottenham match

Bester remembers Tottenham matchGiving back to the next best star Retired Namibian footballer Rudolf Bester fondly remembers the time when his former club, Orlando Pirates, competed against one of Europe’s finest, Tottenham Hotspur. LIMBA MUPETAMI

WINDHOEK

In 2011, former Namibian and Orlando Pirates footballer Rudolf Bester played against one of the best in European football, Tottenham Hotspur, in the Vodacom Cup at Ellis Park as the Cup celebrated its 11th anniversary.

Bester is one of the few Namibians to have played professional football outside Namibia, the first Namibian to win South Africa’s Premier Soccer League with Pirates and the first Namibian to play against Tottenham.

Together with former teammates such as Andile Jali, Happy Jele, Oupa Manyisa and Lucky Lekgwathi, the players matched Tottenham head-to-head, thus putting up an enterprising display, even though they lost the match 1-0 to the visiting side.

Tottenham’s Jermain Defoe scored with three minutes remaining from Gareth Bale’s pinpoint cross. Despite the loss, Bester’s side proved that there is quality in African football and that through hard work and dedication one can reach and equal the best in the world.

Unforgettable memories

Asked by Namibian Sun what went through his mind when they faced Tottenham, Bester said was nervous, but contained it by staying focused on what was at hand. He entered the match as a 63rd-minute substitute for Daine Klate and played his heart out, almost even scoring in the second half.

“It’s every player’s dream to rub shoulders with the greatest players such as Luka Modric, Gareth Bale, Steven Pienaar, Rafael van der Vaart and Peter Crouch, to name just a few. It was a pleasure for me to be on the field with those players and having played for a big club such as Pirates,” said Bester.

Always focused

He added that he was focused and just wanted to play football for the national team and then head outside the country.

“I was lucky enough to have done that. There were better players than me in Namibia but I was lucky to get that opportunity and I really appreciate it and the people who made it possible for me to achieve that,” added the former striker.

Bester retired from club football in 2018 due to injuries but remains the Brave Warriors’ all-time top goal scorer with 13 goals in 46 appearances.

Bester left Eleven Arrows in the 2009/10 season for Maritzburg United and immediately made an impact in his first season in the PSL, scoring nine goals to help Maritzburg narrowly survive relegation.

He also scooped the PSL Goal of the Season award with a cracking finish past Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune after turning his marker Jimmy Tau at Orlando Stadium.

Later on, he joined Pirates in the 2011/12 season, and is remembered for scoring a stunning winner as a substitute against Jomo Cosmos to help Pirates retain the league title under Augusto Palacios.

The Namibian also played for Serbian SuperLiga club FK Cukaricki Stankom and South Africa’s Moroka Swallows.

The goal poacher was a part of the Namibian squad at the 2008 African Cup of Nations. In June 2012 he missed three important international matches due to Injury.

He was expected to play for Namibia's Brave Warriors in the 2014 Brazil World Cup Qualifiers against Nigeria, Kenya and 2013 African Cup of Nations qualifier against Liberia.

He recovered from the injury and returned to international duty in a friendly against Rwanda on Saturday, 13 October 2012 in Windhoek.

The striker is now focusing on giving back wat he has learned over the years, as he opened the Rudolf Bester Football Academy in Walvis Bay last month.