Bafana Bafana and Ajax Cape Town defender Rivaldo Coetzee has the football world at his feet after a rapid rise through the ranks, writes Wade Pretorius in SoccerClub magazine.
Football is in his blood; it always has been. A Bafana Bafana regular and a PSL stalwart with Ajax Cape Town, it’s hard to imagine the young defender, who takes his name from one of Brazil’s greatest players, ever struggled to impose himself on a match or an opponent.
‘My father is a huge fan of Brazilian football and Rivaldo was his favourite player, which is why he named me after him,’ Coetzee told Fifa.
‘I’ve had a ball with me ever since I was a little boy. My father played in goal for an amateur side and when he was on the pitch, I was behind his goal with my friends, kicking my ball around. I grew up in a small place and everybody knew how much I loved football. Maybe they thought it was just the right name for him to give his son, because football was his life.’
Coetzee’s first test came early in his career, when he was turned away by the Urban Warriors several times. However, his perseverance paid off as he kept knocking on the door at Ikamva until he was granted a place in their famed academy.
He spent just one month with the U15s before earning a call-up to the U17s and two years later he had impressed Ajax’s technical team to the extent that they handed him his Premiership debut.
It’s been a fast and frenetic ride to the top, rising from fledgling talent to PSL regular and finally receiving a phone call from national coach Shakes Mashaba for his international debut. In all, it took just four years to go from outsider to Bafana’s youngest player as he took over the mantle from Aaron Mokoena. Now he is on track to break Mokoena’s all-time record for most caps.
Ajax have benefited as much from Coetzee’s development as he has from them, with coach Roger de Sa’s tactics grooming their prized asset for bigger and better things. ‘It’s a team that enjoys possession,’ Coetzee says. ‘I learned I have to be comfortable on the ball and be able to start moves. That’s what the foreign teams want and my ambition is to play abroad.’
The young man from Kakamas in the Northern Cape has already proved himself an astute defender and is showing he is ready for the physicality of international football, as he builds up play in front of his club’s adoring fans.
Even from afar, it’s clear to see his coach’s faith in him and constantly being able to learn from the country’s best is paying off. His performances alongside Erick Mathoho in Rio, especially against Brazil’s legion of stars, including Neymar, Gabriel Barbosa and Gabriel Jesus, suggest it’s a case of when, and not if, the South African will be lured away from the Mother City.
Coetzee has been a long-standing target in a transfer cold war, with South Africa’s glamour clubs and the foreign market keeping a close eye on his progress.
When the time comes to move on, his club and Coetzee himself will be ready to reap the rewards.
Photo: Chris Ricco/BackpagePix
– This article first appeared in Issue 73 of SoccerClub magazine
