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The Lucas Radebe Story - Sports - Nairaland

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The Lucas Radebe Story by uniquetechng: 10:46pm On Jan 15, 2021
In 1994, Lucas Radebe and another South African player, Philemon "Chippa" Masinga, moved to Leeds United for a transfer fee of £250,000. What was funny about this transfer was that Radebe was only included in the deal to keep Masinga happy - meaning, apart from salary, his position in the Leeds squad was not guaranteed. He was given to Leeds as what Luos would call "nyongesa"
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On reaching there, Radebe did not agree with then Leeds manager Howard Wilkinson, and suffered injuries which prevented him for earning a regular team place even in the second team . However, when Wilkinson was replaced by George Graham, the new coach decided to test his ability by giving him a chance in the second team and later in the first team .
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Radebe flourished and was made captain of the team for the 1998–99 season. Whilst he was captain, Leeds enjoyed a period of relative success; in the 1998–99 season, they finished fourth in the FA Premier League, qualifying for the UEFA Cup. During the 1999–2000 season, Leeds finished third in the Premier League and qualified for the following season's Champions League, where they eventually reached the semi-finals.
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During this time, Radebe turned down the chance to move to Manchester United, A.C. Milan and Roma. Alex Ferguson commented at the time, "Everyone should be interested in Lucas."
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As things would turn out, Phil Masinga who was the main deal in the transfer to Leeds failed to perform and Radebe who was only given as a " toy" to make Masinga not feel lonely turned out to be the most valuable investment for the team .
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When Radebe joined Leeds there was a welcoming party for Masinga whom he joined with and though he was part of the transfer, he was least mentioned. When Masinga left Leeds , there wasn't even a party to honour his contribution but when Radebe left in 2005 , Leeds held a testimonial for him at Elland Road , attended by a crowd of over 37,886.
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In 2008, a local Leeds brewery asked for suggestions for a new beer; the most popular suggestion was RADEBEER , showing the Leeds fans' admiration of Radebe. Today people in Leeds Remember him even on their drinks . He was even honoured with a statue at their Stadium.

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Re: The Lucas Radebe Story by PAWG(m): 11:27pm On Jan 15, 2021
Good read

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