Phil Masinga
Full namePhilemon Raul Masinga[1]
Birth date28 June 1969
Death date13 January 2019 (aged 49)
Birth placeKlerksdorp, South Africa
Death placeJohannesburg, South Africa
Height6.2 ft (1.88 metres)[2]
PositionStriker
Youthclubs 1Khuma Flamengo
Youthclubs 2Kaizer Chiefs
Years 11990–1991
Clubs 1Jomo Cosmos
Caps 188
Goals 123
Years 21991–1994
Clubs 2Mamelodi Sundowns
Caps 2108
Goals 298
Years 31994–1996
Clubs 3Leeds United
Caps 331
Goals 35
Years 41996–1997
Clubs 4St. Gallen
Caps 410
Goals 40
Years 51997
Clubs 5Salernitana
Caps 516
Goals 54
Years 61997–2001
Clubs 6Bari
Caps 675
Goals 624
Years 72001–2002
Clubs 7Al-Wahda
Totalcaps328
Totalgoals154
Nationalyears 11992–2001
Nationalteam 1South Africa
Nationalcaps 158
Nationalgoals 118
Manageryears 12006
Managerclubs 1PJ Stars

Philemon Raul Masinga (28 June 1969 – 13 January 2019) was a South African professional footballer and manager who played as a striker from 1990 to 2002. He was born in Khuma in the city of Matlosana formerly known as Klerksdorp Municipality.[3]

He played in the English Premier League for Leeds United, and Italian Serie A for Salernitana and Bari. He also played for Jomo Cosmos, Mamelodi Sundowns with his cousin Bennett Masinga, St. Gallen and Al-Wahda. He represented South Africa in 58 international games, scoring 18 goals. In 2006, he briefly went into football management with PJ Stars.

Club career

Masinga made his debut for Jomo Cosmos in 1990, before moving on to Mamelodi Sundowns.[4]

In 1994 he left for English Premier League club Leeds United; the deal that his agent Marcelo Houseman did with Leeds manager Howard Wilkinson also involved Lucas Radebe moving to Leeds from Kaizer Chiefs.[5] He played in the English Premier League for two years, playing 31 games and scoring five goals, and also scored a hat-trick in an FA Cup tie against Walsall on 17 January 1995.[6]

Masinga moved to Switzerland with St. Gallen in 1996, followed by spells in Italy with Salernitana and Bari.[7] In 2001, a return to English Football with Coventry City fell through after he failed to secure a work permit,[8] following which he moved to Al Wahda FC in Abu Dhabi where he completed his playing career.[7]

International career

Masinga made his international debut in July 1992 against Cameroon; this was South Africa's first match following readmission of the country to international football.[9] In an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier versus Zambia in 1992, Masinga became the first South African ever to be sent off in an international match.[10] He was in the Bafana Bafana side when South Africa won the 1996 Africa Cup of Nations and when they finished second to Egypt in the 1998 Africa Cup of Nations.[11] "Chippa", as he was affectionately known,[12] scored the decisive goal in the 1997 game against the Republic of the Congo that took South Africa to the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France.[9] He played 58 games for his country, scoring 18 goals.[4]

Managerial career

In 2006, Masinga briefly coached PJ Stars, a now-defunct third-division South African club.[4]

Death

On 13 January 2019, Masinga died in Johannesburg.[9][13] He had been admitted to hospital the previous month, due to cancer.[12][14]

Career statistics

GoalDateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
111 July 1992FNB Stadium, Johannesburg, South AfricaCameroon1–12–2Friendly
224 October 1992Congo1–01–01994 World Cup qualification
325 July 1993Sir Aneroid Jugnauth Stadium, Belle Vue Maurel, MauritiusMRI3–03–01994 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
424 April 1994Mmabatho Stadium, Mmabatho, South AfricaZimbabwe1–01–0Friendly
54 September 1994Mahamasina Municipal Stadium, Antananarivo, MadagascarMAD1–01–01996 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
615 October 1994Odi Stadium, Mabopane, South AfricaMRI1–01–0
713 January 1996FNB Stadium, Johannesburg, South AfricaCameroon1–03–01996 Africa Cup of Nations
824 April 1996Brazil1–02–3Friendly
99 November 1996Zaire1–01–01998 World Cup qualification
1027 April 1997Stade Municipal, Lomé, Togo2–12–1
1124 May 1997Old Trafford, Manchester, EnglandEngland1–11–2Friendly
128 June 1997FNB Stadium, Johannesburg, South AfricaZambia2–03–01998 World Cup qualification
1316 August 1997Congo1–01–0
1424 January 1998Independence Stadium, Windhoek, South AfricaNAM2–12–31998 COSAFA Cup
1523 January 1999King George V Stadium, Curepipe, MauritiusMRI1–01–12000 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
1627 February 1999Odi Stadium, Mabopane, South AfricaGAB2–14–1
1716 December 2000FNB Stadium, Johannesburg, South AfricaLBR2–02–12002 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
1825 February 2001Chichiri Stadium, Blantyre, MalawiMWI1–02–12002 World Cup qualification

Honours

Jomo Cosmos

Mamelodi Sundowns

South Africa

See also

References

  1. ^ The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2005/2006. Queen Anne Press. 2005. p. 417. ISBN 978-1-85291-662-6.
  2. ^ "Philemon Masinga: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  3. ^ "Phil Masinga: South African footballer who was part of a new era of sport after apartheid". The Independent. 2019-01-21. Retrieved 2023-12-12.
  4. ^ Breakfast, Siviwe (12 December 2018). "Former Bafana striker Phil Masinga hospitalised". The South African. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  5. ^ Smart, Ryan (6 August 2018). "This is my hero". Tale of Two Halves. Archived from the original on 13 January 2019. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  6. ^ "Hat-Trick Heroes – Leeds United FC – LeedsUtdMAD". Leedsunited-mad.co.uk. Retrieved 28 May 2012.
  7. ^ "South Africa and Leeds United star Phil Masinga dies at 49". ESPN. 13 January 2019. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  8. ^ "Masinga deal off". Coventry Evening Telegraph. 15 August 2001. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  9. ^ "Phil Masinga: Ex-Leeds and South Africa striker dies aged 49". BBC Sport. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  10. ^ Said, Nick (7 August 2015). "No stranger to seeing red". Daily Dispatch. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  11. ^ Hadebe Sadze (12 December 2018). "Bafana Bafana legend Philemon Masinga has been hospitalised". The Sowetan. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  12. ^ "SA soccer legend Phil 'Chippa' Masinga dies". Sport24. 13 January 2019. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  13. ^
  14. ^ "Phil Masinga: South Africa striker who made Premier League history with Leeds". Guardian. 14 January 2019. Retrieved 17 January 2019.