Today in history: The legendary Philimon Masinga dies
The Minister of Sports and Recreation, Thokozile Xasa acknowledged Masinga as one among the first players to play in a major league.
Legendary Bafana Bafana striker Philimon Masinga died at the age of 49 in a Johannesburg hospital after a long battle with cancer on 12 January 2019.
Masinga was born on 28 June 1969 in Klerksdorp, North West Province and he is well known for scoring the goal in the 1997 match against Congo which secured the South Africa’s World Cup appearance in 1998.
The Minister of Sports and Recreation, Thokozile Xasa acknowledged Masinga as one among the first players to play in a major league.
He was also labelled as the ambassador for the game and the country and played for Jomo Cosmos and Mamelodi Sundowns before moving overseas in 1994.
He also featured for international teams such as Leeds United in England, St Gallen in Switzerland, Salernitana Bari in Italy and Al Wahda in the United Arab Emirates.
The late Masinga scored 18 goals during his 58 international appearances between 1992 and 2001.
Over his entire professional career, Masinga scored 154 goals in 328 appearances and when he died he left behind his wife, Carol, and two children.
Information sourced from: South African History Online.
