Richard Henyekane Explained

Richard Henyekane
Fullname:Richard Tebogo Henyekane
Birth Date:28 September 1983
Birth Place:Kimberley, South Africa
Death Place:Bethlehem, South Africa
Position:Striker, Winger
Youthyears2:1999–2001
Youthclubs1:Naughty Boys
Youthclubs2:Basotho Tigers
Years1:2002–2002
Clubs1:Basotho Tigers
Years2:2003–2004
Clubs2:Hellenic
Caps2:4
Goals2:0
Years3:2004–2010
Years4:2010–2015
Years5:2014
Clubs3:Golden Arrows
Clubs4:Mamelodi Sundowns
Clubs5:→ Free State Stars (loan)
Caps3:119
Caps4:44
Caps5:32
Goals3:35
Goals4:5
Goals5:7
Totalcaps:199
Totalgoals:47
Nationalyears1:2009–2013
Nationalteam1:South Africa
Nationalcaps1:9
Nationalgoals1:0

Richard Henyekane (28 September 1983 – 7 April 2015) was a South African professional footballer who also represented the national team.

Early and personal life

Henyekane hails from Kimberley's Galeshewe township; his younger brother Joseph, who died in December 2014 in a car accident, was also a professional footballer.

Career

Henyekane made his professional debut for Premier United-Hellenic against Jomo Cosmos on 8 February 2004. He joined Golden Arrows in the 2004/05 season, with his first goal coming in Arrows' 1–1 draw against Manning Rangers on 19 January 2005. Henyekane, who played as a striker or attacking right wing position, had his career best season with Golden Arrows in the PSL. The striker bagged three hat-tricks during the 2009–2010 PSL season ending with 19 league goals, as well as a further Telkom Knockout hat-trick, finishing with 23 goals for the season.[1] The striker was then snapped up by Mamelodi Sundowns on a lucrative three-year contract as a free agent.[1] On 4 March 2012, his team set a record in the Nedbank Cup when they beat Powerlines FC by 24–0, with Henyekane scoring five of the goals.[2] He joined Free State Stars on loan from Sundowns in the January Transfer Window of 2014, with the move made permanent in July 2014. During this time, he made 18 league appearances and scored seven goals in the process. Henyekane had made 17 appearances in the 2014–2015 season; his last match was as a substitute appearance against AmaZulu at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on 4 April 2015, and his last goal came in Stars' 1–1 draw with Orlando Pirates at Charles Mopeli stadium on 6 May 2014.[1]

International career

Henyekane was first called up for international duty in 2009 but was left out of the Joel Santana squad for the 2009 Fifa Confederations Cup. He later made his international debut in a 3–1 loss against Serbia on 12 August 2009. Henyekane made nine official appearances for the South Africa national team.

He died in a car accident on 7 April 2015.[3]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: A look back at the career of Richard Henyekane | Goal.com. www.goal.com.
  2. News: Sundowns make South African history with 24-0 win. BBC Sport. 4 March 2012. 7 March 2012.
  3. Web site: Stars' Henyekane dies in car crash. supersport.com.