Cape Town – A tattoo isn’t everybody’s cup of tea.
Thulani Serero, though, is rather fond of tattoos. And among his many ink jobs is the word CREAM emblazoned on his left forearm. “Cream” was the nickname given to him by his former teammates at Ajax Cape Town, and it literally means “smooth operator”.
On Tuesday on a cold night in the Amsterdam Arena the cream rose to the top of the tea when Serero put in one of the great performances by a South African in Champions League football.
Scoring a goal against Barcelona and overshadowing two of the greatest midfielders of our generation in front of your home fans must have made that post-match Ceylon brew very sweet indeed.
But Serero is not the first South African to shine on the European stage.
Steven Pienaar made Arsenal’s Patrick Vieira look decidedly average in a Champions League match in 2003, or Benni McCarthy scoring a brace against Manchester United in the first leg to set-up Porto’s place in the quarter-finals of the 2003-04 competition they eventually went on to win.
But what do these players have in common, besides the fact that they have a strong tie with Ajax Cape Town?
All three of them have had their run-ins with Bafana Bafana coaches and administrators during their time with the national team.
Pienaar retired from international football last year at the peak of his powers, while McCarthy decided to hang up his international, while he was making some of the best defenders in the world look foolish.
Serero was sent home ahead of Bafana Bafana’s crucial qualifier against Botswana because he allegedly faked an injury. At least that was the story coming out of the Bafana camp.
It’s rather sad that both McCarthy and Pienaar haven’t played over a 100 games for Bafana. There may be lots of reasons for this, which could include their egos getting in the way of performing for the national team. Most of all it’s probably the way they were treated by the South African Football Association during their careers.
I remember McCarthy being blamed for the 2006 African Nations Cup debacle. However, he didn’t pick a team which included the likes of Sailor Tshabalala.
Steven Pienaar, for most of his international career, didn’t have enough quality around him and couldn’t quite perform at that high level.
Serero is one of the most talented footballers to come out of South Africa. That’s why he needs to be brought back in the national fold to try and lead this new generation of footballers coming through.
Serero’s former coach at the Urban Warriors Foppe de Haan told me on Thursday that the reason why Serero is playing at such a high level is because he is playing with better players around him.
And maybe Bafana’s new generation will aspire to reach the next level if Serero is running the show in midfield.
He has got to be nurtured to be the next great Bafana No 10, but not pampered or given any preferential treatment.
And it’s also up to him to want to give his best for the country.
Bafana have already lost Steven Pienaar to early retirement, and we don’t want to see Serero sitting on the porch next to him, drinking a cup of tea and showing off tattoos.
TWEETS OF THE WEEK
@dino08bravo (Dino Ndlovu): Big ups to cream Serero proud of you boy...you flew the flag high tonight against Barcelona you showed leadership...proudly South African.
WHO TO FOLLOW
@sererothulani: Any man who can show up Xavi and Iniesta deserves a follow in my book.