Benni McCarthy, Lucas Radebe, 6 Other Bafana Bafana Legends Who Played for Top Clubs in Europe

• Benni McCarthy and Lucas Radebe were part of the Bafana Bafana legends who played top clubs in Europe
• Some of the South African football legends won major European trophies and league titles for their club sides
• Sports Brief has listed some of the former Bafana Bafana footballers who had stints for top teams in Europe

Bafana Bafana players, past and present, were not left out when it came to African players who made the continent proud while representing top clubs in Europe.

Recently, most of the South African players on the national team are majorly from the Premier Soccer League (local league), while a few are still scattered in Europe.

With the recent improvement in the South African league, Sports Brief takes a look at the Bafana Bafana legends who played for top clubs in Europe.

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Football

Bafana legends who played for top European clubs

1. Mark Fish (Lazio)

The former South African international is rated as one of the best defenders of all time in Africa and made a career-changing move to Serie A side Lazio from Orlando Pirates in 1996 after winning the AFCON.

2. Philemon Masinga (Leeds)

Masinga was a sensation during his time with Mamelodi Sundowns, and his performance for the Brazilians earned him a move to Premier League side Leeds United.

Leeds were one of the top clubs in England in those years, and the former Jomo Cosmos striker made his mark at the club.

3. Bongani Khumalo (Tottenham)

Khumalo's performance for SuperSport United earned him a move to Tottenham Hotspur in 2011 after he signed a pre-contract with the North London Club in 2010.

The defender failed to break into Tottenham's starting lineup and was loaned to several clubs before returning to the PSL in 2015.

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Football

4. Quinton Fortune (Atletico Madrid, Manchester United)

Fortune is arguably the South African player who played for the biggest European clubs during his illustrious career.

He started his youth career with Tottenham but failed to break into the first team, so he was shipped to Mallorca in 1995.

After one season with Mallorca, the legendary left fullback switched sides and joined Atletico Madrid, playing majorly for the B (reserve) team.

Fortune eventually made a significant career move when he joined Manchester United in 1999 and won the Premier League title.

5. Lucas Radebe (Leeds United)

Leeds United signed Masinga and Radebe in 1994, but the latter became a club legend while representing the English side for over ten years.

Radebe captained the Leeds side that reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League in the 1999-2000 season.

6. Delron Buckley (Borussia Dortmund)

The legendary South African winger had his best club football career in Germany while playing for Vfl Bochum, and his performance earned him a move to Borussia Dortmund in 2005.

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Buckley had two stints with the Bundesliga giants before finally leaving the club in 2009.

7. Steven Pienaar (Ajax, Borussia Dortmund, Everton, Tottenham)

Pienaar arrived in Europe from Ajax Cape Town in 2001 and joined Eredivisie giants Ajax. The attacking midfielder won two league titles with the Jews before joining Borussia Dortmund in 2006.

He left BVB for Everton on loan in 2007 before the Toffees made the move permanent in 2008.

The South African legend's performance for the Merseyside Blues earned him a move to Tottenham in 2011.

8. Benni McCarthy (Ajax, FC Porto)

McCarthy still holds the record as the only South African to have won the UEFA Champions League.

He achieved the feat with FC Porto in the 2003-04 season under Jose Mourinho's tutelage. The Bafana Bafana legend also won the Eredivisie title with Ajax in 1998 and the Portuguese league twice.

The former AmaZulu coach moved to the EPL in 2006, joining Blackburn Rovers. His last club in Europe was West Ham United.

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Football

McCarthy's coaching ambition

Sports Brief earlier reported on McCarthy disclosing his ambition of coaching against former footballers like Wayne Rooney and Xabi Alonso.

Alonso, for instance, is enjoying a historic season with Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga. McCarthy feels he deserves to face the former Real Madrid midfielder.