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CHAT CORNER
ON THE ROAD TO BY HAPPY MASANGO
FAME AND FORTUNE
Quinton Fortune remains the only South African footballer to win the English Premier League. His 15-year-long career abroad - filled with both highs and lows - will arguably go down as one of the best exports South Africa has ever seen.
Born and bred in gangster-ridden Cape Town during the apartheid era, Fortune was handed a lifeline in 1991 out of a lifestyle which saw the majority either end up in jail or killed. The midfielder was scouted by Tottenham Hotspurs and formed part of their youth academy between 1991 and 1995.
SOCCERZELA.CO.ZA
Fortune also had the privilege of featuring at two FIFA World Cups for Bafana Bafana in 1998 and 2002 while plying his trade for European big guns Atlético Madrid and Manchester United. In 1996, Fortune joined Atlético Madrid. He later signed for Manchester United for a fee of £1.5 million on 1 August 1999, it was at the Red Devils where he made over 80 appearances for the club.
Fortune’s move to United came out the blue. Originally, he was brought in as cover on the lefthand side for Giggs, and a direct replacement for the injury-ridden Jesper Blomqvist. The South African was thought of as an attacking winger, but during his fairly lengthy spell at Old Trafford, he became a utility player, playing in all sorts of positions. Manchester United manager Sir Alex depended mostly on his
ISSUE 09
