Matlou, Nyandeni bow out legends after stellar Banyana careers

NOKO Matlou and Nompumelelo Nyandeni left the Banyana Banyana jersey better than they found it - and that’s why they are bowing out as legends.

- MIHLALI BALEKA

Matlou and Nyandeni had their last hurray in the Banyana team in the recent friendlies against Malawi, earning their 174th and 150th international caps respectively.

It was a fitting gesture from the Banyana technical team and Safa hier-archy to bid farewell to two icons, who sowed the seeds the current generation is now reaping.

Matlou rose to prominence when she became the first South African to win the CAF African Women's Player of the Year award in 2008.

She displayed grit and determina-tion to earn the continent's highest honour, while still playing amateur football in her home town in Limpopo.

At the time, Banyana were simply a Women’s Africa Cup of Nations team, with limited international exposure.

But such was the zeal within Mat-lou’s generation that their efforts, honed in the Sasol League (launched in 2012), began to bear fruit.

Matlou and company made his-tory, qualifying for the 2012 London and 2016 Rio Olympics under coaches Joseph Mkhonza and Vera Pauw.

The Rio edition marked a turning point for many of Matlou’s peers, who retired to pursue nine-to-five jobs due to the lack of development in South African women’s football.

Matlou, however, proved she was made of sterner stuff. She soldiered on, gaining wisdom along the way and holding out hope that the game would eventually be kinder to her.

She transitioned from being a striker to a defender ~ a tactical switch that paid off. Though no longer the quickest, she retained a striker’s intu-ition and understanding.