Radebe: Lucas Valeriu (Lucas)

1994-2005 (Player Details)

Centre Back

Born: Johannesburg, South Africa: 12-04-1969

Debut: Sheffield Wednesday (a) (Substitute): 26-09-1994

5’11” 11st 9lb (2000)

#13 in 100 Greatest LUFC Players Ever

One of fourteen children, Radebe was born in the Diepkloof section of Soweto, near Johannesburg and started his football career as a goalkeeper, representing Bophuthatswana in the Homeland Games in 1990. He was playing for ICL Birds in the Bopsol League when his side had a crisis in central defence and he moved from between the sticks. He did well, kept his position in the team and was signed by Kaiser Chiefs in April 2000, a move which was soon followed by his first International cap. A member of the Chiefs’ 1992 double-winning side, he was runner-up in the South African Player of the Year awards the following year and arrived at Elland Road with countryman Phil Masinga in August 1994. In 1991 he had been shot while walking down the street, though he was not critically wounded. The motive for the shooting never became clear, but Radebe himself believes that someone had been hired to shoot him in order to prevent him from moving to another club. Radebe scored five goals in one hundred and thirteen games for Kaiser Chiefs. Partially motivated by the shooting incident, Radebe and Philemon "Chippa" Masinga moved to Leeds United. Radebe was only included in the deal to keep Masinga happy; but it turned out he became the more valuable investment. He was extremely versatile, playing in midfield, all the defensive positions and even in goal when needed. Just for good measure he won an African Nations Cup winners’ medal and played in the League Cup Final defeat by Aston Villa in an astonishing 1995-96 season. His goalkeeping exploits emerged the week after the Wembley Final, when Leeds were trailing 1-0 at half-time at home to Middlesbrough. Goalkeeper John Lukic did not reappear after the break because he had taken a bang on the head, so with no keeper on the bench, Howard Wilkinson turned to Radebe, who kept a clean sheet. A few weeks later he came off the bench after keeper Mark Beeney had been sent off in the sixteenth minute at Old Trafford and he kept the EPL Champions, Manchester United at bay until extremely late in the game when Roy Keane scored the only goal of the game. Leeds coach Howard Wilkinson had previously recognised Radebe's excellent physical attributes and quickly moved him from midfield to centre half. Radebe struggled early on in his English career, partly due to injuries, partly because he did not see eye-to-eye with the manager. When Wilkinson was fired, George Graham took over the reins and gave the South African star a chance to blossom. It was the opportunity Radebe had been waiting for. "The Chief", as Leeds fans dubbed him, quickly established himself as a player to be reckoned with. He showed an excellent understanding of the game, strong tackling, fine man-to-man marking, and had a calming influence on his teammates. Graham appointed Radebe captain for the 1998/99 season. Graham left Elland Road in October 1998, to be replaced by David O'Leary. The new manager's first request to the club's board was to secure the services of Radebe for the rest of his career. O'Leary had served as Graham's assistant, and and understood just how much the South African captain brought to the Yorkshire club. "Lucas should be set in stone and never allowed to leave", O'Leary said. The Chief signed a four-year contract, and went on to prove himself a major success. In 1998/99 Leeds finished fourth in the EPL, and so qualified for the UEFA Cup. The following season they finished third in England and qualified for the higher profile, more lucrative ECL. Surprising many, Leeds made it through to the Semi-Finals. Radebe picked up a knee injury in 2000, and subsequent knee and ankle injuries kept him sidelined for the better part of two years. At the end of the 2005 season, Radebe retired from professional football in a star-studded testimonial match at Elland Road involving players from all around the world, and Leeds United players past and present. He was offered a role on the Leeds United coaching staff as a result. He remained a crowd favourite at Elland Road with the fans still singing his name even after his retirement. In 2008 a Local Leeds Brewery asked for suggestions for a name for a new Beer and the most popular suggestion was "Radebeer" showing the Leeds fans continuing admiration for him. Lucas was given a testimonial at Elland Road on 2nd May 2005 and it was attended by a crowd of 37,886. The Final Score was Leeds United XI 3 International XI 7. Numerous International Stars and Leeds United Legends turned out for the game showing how well regarded Lucas was throughout the world of football. The players included Gary McAllister, Vinnie Jones, Jay-Jay Okocha, Mario Mechiot, John Carew, Bruce Grobbelaar, Olivier Dacourt, Nigel Martyn, Gunnar Halle, Neil Sullivan, David Batty, Gary Speed, Gordon Strachan, Gary Kelly, Clyde Wijnhard, Phil Masinga, David Wetherall, Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink, Tony Yeboah, Paul Robinson, Chris Kamara, Matthew Kilgallon and Eirik Bakke. Lucas also held a retirement match in Durban, South Africa between a South African Invitation XI and Lucas Radebe All Stars at Kings Park Soccer Stadium. The match finished South African Invitation XI 3 Lucas Radebe All Stars 2. The proceeds from both of these matches were combined with other money raised and donated to charity as part of Lucas's big donation to charity in his final year as a player. Radebe was first included in the South African National Team in 1992 and he made his international debut on 7th July 1992 against Cameroon. In1996, he was a member of the South African team that won the African Nations Cup. Radebe was also the captain of the South African national football team (nicknamed the Bafana Bafana) in the 1998 World Cup and also in the 2002 World Cup. He earned seventy "caps" for South Africa and scored two goals during his international career with his last match being against England on 22nd May 2003. He was voted fifty-fourth in the top one hundred Great South Africans in 2004. The popular band the ‘Kaiser Chiefs’ are said to have taken their name from Lucas' old club as he had such an influence on them as children, and all the band members being Leeds fans.