Masinga: Philomen Raul (Phil)

1994-1996 (Player Details)

Forward

Born: Klerksdorp, South Africa: 28-06-1969

Debut: v West Ham United (a) (substitute): 20-08-1994

6’2” 12st 7lb (1995)

#99 in 100 Greatest LUFC Players Ever

Masinga and fellow South African International Lucas Radebe were the surprise signings of the summer of 1994 after being spotted by Leeds scout Geoff Sleight playing for the national side against Zambia. Striker Masinga completed his move to Leeds in August 1994 for £250,000 from Mamelodi Sundowns. He had helped the Sundowns to the South Africa title the previous season with eighteen goals after he had joined them from his first club, Jomo Cosmos. He was on the wanted list of several European clubs, including Bobby Robson’s Porto, and quickly showed his poaching talents at Leeds, scoring a nine-minute extra-time hat-trick after coming on as a substitute against Walsall in an FA Cup replay. His first season at Leeds saw him progress, but he was only used sparingly in his second year, although he collected an African Cup of Nations winners’ medal when the competition was staged in his native South Africa. Tall and leggy, he showed good ball skills, but his individual style did not always fit in with United’s system. He was also up against the likes of Tony Yeboah, Brian Deane, Rod Wallace, Noel Whelan, David White and Tomas Brolin for the striker spots. In July 1996 he went to Swiss club St Gallen for £500,000 after he was unable to get his work permit renewed so that he could stay with Leeds. After ten games with the Swiss club, he later played with Italian clubs Salernitana in 1996-97, where he played sixteen games and scored four goals, and Bari, from 1997-2001, where he played seventy-four times with twenty-four goals. He had remained a regular with Bafana Bafana during his European sojourn and was part of the team that finished second to Egypt in the 1998 African Cup of Nations. He also scored the goal in 1997 against the Democratic Republic of Congo which took South Africa to the 1998 World Cup in France. In July 2001 he signed for Coventry City but ran into work permit problems once more. He went to Al-Wahda in Abu Dabai for the 2001-2002 season. He retired after an injury to a knee that had already been the subject of two operations. Masinga represented South Africa fifty-nine times South Africa scoring eighteen goals. South African fans are faithful to Masinga and he had a considerable following, being widely regarded as one of the best South African strikers of all time. In 2006 he briefly coached PJ Stars in the Mvela Golden League. He was also an ambassador for South Africa’s bid for the 2010 World Cup.