Last Friday evening, I sat at a bar in the Hannover city centre in Germany.
There, in the company of drunk and loud strangers, I watched Germany get eliminated from the Euro 2024 tournament by on-form Spain.
That match was followed by one between France and Portugal.
The two nations, under the captaincy of Kilian Mbappe and Cristiano Ronaldo, respectively, reminded me why football is called “the beautiful game”.
It was one of the most entertaining matches I’ve ever seen.
The energy was palpable from the first minute right until Portugal missed a crucial penalty after the teams had failed to score any goals in more than 120 minutes of play and extra time.
But something about that game had me thinking about the recently appointed minister of defence and military veterans, Angie Motshekga.
Portugal’s captain, Ronaldo, turned 41 in February. In soccer, that’s very old.
But it’s not the number of years that he has been on earth that demonstrates that he is ageing — it’s also his form on the field.
There is no question that Ronaldo is one of the greatest footballers of all time.
In his generation, he is second only to Argentina’s Lionel Messi, who captained his team to victory in the previous Fifa World Cup.
Exactly 20 years ago, Ronaldo was a fresh-faced teenager playing in the Euro 2004 tournament where Portugal lost to Greece in the finals.
He would go on to play brilliantly at Manchester United and Real Madrid, leaving an indelible mark.
But that Ronaldo is no more. In his place is a man who cannot keep up with younger players.
He no longer has the pace to consistently break in behind the defence of even the most mediocre of teams.
His scoring streak has all but disappeared.
In this 2024 Euro tournament, he scored only once — in the penalty shootout that Portugal would ultimately lose to France.
He missed many chances and just couldn’t connect.
It has been debilitating to watch this man, once at the peak of world football, diminish.
But the real pain is not only that Ronaldo is now a shadow of his former self, but that he continues to be given a great responsibility that he cannot fulfil — that of captaining a team of brilliant young players who, unfortunately, look up to him so much that his form determines the fate of the team.
For Ronaldo to play, brilliant and on-form younger players such as Diogo Jota and Goncalo Ramos must be benched.
By being deprived of game time, they’re missing out on acquiring the necessary experience to play at critical international tournaments.
Their youthful talent is also being underused.
Ultimately, the future of Portugal football is being compromised — all in the name of preserving the diminished legacy of one man whose best days are now far behind him, and who draws crowds not for his current brilliance but for his former glory.
This is what has become of Motshekga, a woman who, more than a decade ago, had great ideas for SA’s education system.
In 2009, she was appointed as the first minister of basic education.
She would remain in that portfolio for 14 long years, during which time, her initially great legacy was slowly eroded.
By the time she left the department, SA’s basic education performance was far below comparative countries such as Brazil.
Additionally, the department has battled with the implementation of minimum norms and standards for infrastructure, resulting in a continued legacy of pupil injuries and deaths from falling into pit-latrines.
There’s a severe shortage of teachers, particularly in STEM subjects and specifically in rural and peri-urban areas.
It’s a legacy of shame — one that began with good intentions, great energy and promise.
Perhaps, much like with Portugal’s soccer team, the real tragedy is that younger and better people were overlooked to keep Motshekga in her position.
And with that, SA’s future was compromised.
HeraldLIVE
Age takes its toll, even on the highest achievers
Columnist
Image: Justin Setterfield
Last Friday evening, I sat at a bar in the Hannover city centre in Germany.
There, in the company of drunk and loud strangers, I watched Germany get eliminated from the Euro 2024 tournament by on-form Spain.
That match was followed by one between France and Portugal.
The two nations, under the captaincy of Kilian Mbappe and Cristiano Ronaldo, respectively, reminded me why football is called “the beautiful game”.
It was one of the most entertaining matches I’ve ever seen.
The energy was palpable from the first minute right until Portugal missed a crucial penalty after the teams had failed to score any goals in more than 120 minutes of play and extra time.
But something about that game had me thinking about the recently appointed minister of defence and military veterans, Angie Motshekga.
Portugal’s captain, Ronaldo, turned 41 in February. In soccer, that’s very old.
But it’s not the number of years that he has been on earth that demonstrates that he is ageing — it’s also his form on the field.
There is no question that Ronaldo is one of the greatest footballers of all time.
In his generation, he is second only to Argentina’s Lionel Messi, who captained his team to victory in the previous Fifa World Cup.
Exactly 20 years ago, Ronaldo was a fresh-faced teenager playing in the Euro 2004 tournament where Portugal lost to Greece in the finals.
He would go on to play brilliantly at Manchester United and Real Madrid, leaving an indelible mark.
But that Ronaldo is no more. In his place is a man who cannot keep up with younger players.
He no longer has the pace to consistently break in behind the defence of even the most mediocre of teams.
His scoring streak has all but disappeared.
In this 2024 Euro tournament, he scored only once — in the penalty shootout that Portugal would ultimately lose to France.
He missed many chances and just couldn’t connect.
It has been debilitating to watch this man, once at the peak of world football, diminish.
But the real pain is not only that Ronaldo is now a shadow of his former self, but that he continues to be given a great responsibility that he cannot fulfil — that of captaining a team of brilliant young players who, unfortunately, look up to him so much that his form determines the fate of the team.
For Ronaldo to play, brilliant and on-form younger players such as Diogo Jota and Goncalo Ramos must be benched.
By being deprived of game time, they’re missing out on acquiring the necessary experience to play at critical international tournaments.
Their youthful talent is also being underused.
Ultimately, the future of Portugal football is being compromised — all in the name of preserving the diminished legacy of one man whose best days are now far behind him, and who draws crowds not for his current brilliance but for his former glory.
This is what has become of Motshekga, a woman who, more than a decade ago, had great ideas for SA’s education system.
In 2009, she was appointed as the first minister of basic education.
She would remain in that portfolio for 14 long years, during which time, her initially great legacy was slowly eroded.
By the time she left the department, SA’s basic education performance was far below comparative countries such as Brazil.
Additionally, the department has battled with the implementation of minimum norms and standards for infrastructure, resulting in a continued legacy of pupil injuries and deaths from falling into pit-latrines.
There’s a severe shortage of teachers, particularly in STEM subjects and specifically in rural and peri-urban areas.
It’s a legacy of shame — one that began with good intentions, great energy and promise.
Perhaps, much like with Portugal’s soccer team, the real tragedy is that younger and better people were overlooked to keep Motshekga in her position.
And with that, SA’s future was compromised.
HeraldLIVE
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