Former striker living the coaching dream 

The term ‘goal poacher’ fits former Chief Santos striker Ricardo Witbeen perfectly. Born and raised at Tsumeb, it was inevitable that the former speedy forward would go on to become one of the most sought-after strikers in the country.

Witbeen was born into a family of exceptional footballers.

His uncles, Corry and Lawrance Uri-khob, played for both Santos and Black Africa, while uncles Andreas ‘Mops’ Reynecke and Gerros ‘The Bomber’ Uri-khob starred in the famous orange and green jersey of Santos.

In fact, Gerros was the leading scorer of the senior national team at one point.

While Witbeen has emulated his uncle by being called up to the Brave Warriors several times, the fast-sprinting forward was never granted the chance to showcase his talent at international level.

“It was very frustrating . . . I was part of the team that narrowly lost 1-0 to Egypt in an international in Cairo, while I was on the bench when we got hammered 8-2 by Egypt in a World Cup qualifier.

“I was called up for the Afcon Cup qualifier when a Sadio Mane-inspired Senegal thrashed us 4-0 at Independence Stadium in Windhoek. I was also part of the group that was called up for a training camp by late Brave Warriors coach Ted Dumitru,” he says.

Although he is disappointed because he never won a single cap for his country, Witbeen is more regretful of the fact that he never went to play professional football outside Namibia.

It was, however, smooth sailing for Witbeen on club level as he won two NFA Cups, one Christmas Cup, and the league championships with Santos.

“I am proud to have been part of the golden generation of Chief Santos. I was on the bench when Mohammed ‘Slice’ Ouseb’s only goal of the match sealed victory in the NFA Cup final for us against Tigers in 1997. I received a gold medal as well.

“But I was in the thick of things when Santos defeated Life Fighters 4-2 in the NFA Cup in 1998 by creating two goals and adding my name on the scoreboard with one goal.

“My solitary strike secured a 1-0 victory over Tigers in the NFA Cup final at Walvis Bay in 2002,” he says.

The retired star may have scored the cup winning goal for Santos in 2002, but says his display against Life Fighters during which he scored one and assisted two goals was his most memorable match ever in the colours of his beloved Santos.

Although he honed his skills on the streets of Nomtsoub, Witbeen never played football for his primary school nor for Otjikoto Secondary School, apart from in his matric year when he turned out for the school team during the Coca-Cola Cup competition.

“I spent most of my earlier childhood playing street football. We had a terrific run in the competition by winning our group during the regional leg in 1997.

“We qualified for the national proper knockout stage at Rundu and we were ousted by Suiderlig secondary, who went on to win the competition, in the semi-final round. We consoled ourselves by winning the third and fourth place play-offs,” Witbeen says.

The retired star made his first team debut for Santos, aged 19, against tough Outjo outfit Golden Bees during a cup match which ended in a draw.

“As fate would dictate I scored my first goal for Santos against the same Golden Bees during another fiercely contested league fixture the following weekend. Boy, was I not happy, because that goal actually helped me settle in with the big boys.

“I played with a lot of confidence going forward, and scoring goals became like a hobby for me. The opposition defenders knew they needed to stay focused, because I capitalised ruthlessly on their mistakes,” he says.

WORK, FAMILY

The former goal poacher has an 18-year-old daughter, and is currently both a football coach and fitness trainer.

“I have a hectic schedule. A normal day for me starts with training a few people to get into shape at my home gym for an hour. Then I go coach the Gerros Witbeen Academy team that just finished runners-up to Ondangwa United in the Oshikoto Second Division.

“I am coaching the senior boys between 15h00 and 17h00 on a daily basis. I am running a bootcamp that is training every afternoon as well, while I am working with the junior boys between the under-9 and under-20 age groups once weekly,” Witbeen says.

The one-time Namibian Premier League winner, hopes to upgrade his Fifa grassroots level coaching licence soon.

Witbeen says he is shocked by the lack of passion for the game among today’s young players.

He says he was a fitness fanatic who trained on his own before he went to team practice as he believed a fit player would always perform at the top of his game.

Witbeen says he is currently living his dream as he always wanted to be both a football and grassroots football coach after retiring.

He advises young players to remember that the opportunities for playing professional football are more abundant and easier today than ever before.

“A lot of money is involved now, and the harder you work, the more doors you are opening for yourself to go and play professional football,” he says.