Fame doesn’t last – Eusebio Fredericks

Eusebio ‘Garrincha’ Fredericks’ name already made him destined for football greatness. Bearing the names of two of the world’s greatest players of all time – Eusebio da Silva Ferreira and Brazilian Mane Garrincha – Fredericks says he only started playing football in high school.

“I spent my days at St Andrews Primary School in Khomasdal playing rugby. I was a very strong fly-half and the thought of playing football was never on my mind,” the Windhoek-born star says.

Fredericks received his first junior national team place on the under-17 team, and was later called up for both the under-20 and under-23 teams.

“Ironically, I was turned down by Civics because I was too young after my first trials during my Grade 11 year at Hochland High School. I went back to the south to finish my Grade 12 at Lüderitz Secondary School. My high school years were very nomadic,” he says.

“I didn’t spend more than two years at the towns where I went to school,” he says.

Fredericks also failed some trials at Ramblers before he finally got his breakthrough at Civics on his second attempt.

The retired star says he left the Mighty Civilians at the peak of his career to join up with Ramblers “just because he wanted to play against the big names”.

“I was initially chased away from Civics by coach Congo Hindjou without even touching the ball. Hindjou, who was the Civics coach at the time, said I was too young, but I told myself I was not done with them. I returned and even won them the league,” he says.

“I rose from the Civics development academy to become a first team player. Civics were vying for the league title against Oshakati City, and our final league match was away to the same City at Oshakati. I came off the bench to score the winner to secure a 2-1 win and the 2007 title.”

Fredericks followed several Civics players who joined Orlando Pirates the following season to be part of Hendrick Davids ambitious project that propelled the Katutura Buccaneers to the summit of the 2007-08 season, handing the forward his second consecutive league title.

He says his situation at Ramblers was unusual, because he was granted an opportunity to play in a trial match in which he scored to give the trialists a 2-1 win over the Ramblers first team, only to be told not to return after the encounter.

Fredericks, who also won the FNB Cup with Civics in the 2006/7 season, could not believe his ears after Ramblers coach Tollie van Wyk told him never to report for training again.

Ramblers had a very good team, he says.

“I really enjoyed my time at Ramblers. Despite the presence of a few national team players in their midst, they were average and we did not even challenge for anything during my time there. However, the team dynamics were tops. The team spirit was sky high,” Fredericks says.

“It is thus just befitting that I played the most memorable match of my football career in the Ramblers jersey. It was during a Namibian Premier League derby match against SKW, and that is still fresh in my mind because I netted a brace with both assists coming from Annanias Gebhard, who went on to play professional football in the South African Premier Soccer League.”

Fredericks played on until he left the country for a three-year spell in Finland with AC Kajaani with whom he gained promotion from the third division until the Veikkausliiga which is the professional top flight league from 2011 until 2013.

Kajaani is the same team that former Black Africa and African Stars free-scoring winger Willy ‘Awilo’ Stephanus, now with Saudi club Hetten, also went to play for during his spell in Finland in 2018.

“I was a very technical player during my heyday. I was very skillful and I worked a lot with playing systems. I was never the one to hide myself away during a match. I gave my all for my team and I was a true team player. I had a very good eye for goals,” Fredericks says.

“I am just happy that the national team selectors had their sights on me. I featured seven times for the Brave Warriors, and ironically I never played under a Namibian coach. I played twice under Arie Schans from The Netherlands and five times under Belgian coach Tom Saintfiet.”

Most of Fredericks’ sojourns with the senior Namibian national team took him to South Africa, Seychelles and Mauritius.

In 2007, Fredericks also played in the CAF Champions League, with Civics going down 1-0 to Angolan giants Petro Atletico in the away leg while playing out a one-all draw at home.

Fredericks, who claims to have broken all ties with football, was also twice the top goalscorer of the annual Lüderitz Harders Cup.

“I have completely shut myself out from football. There is absolutely nothing that reminds me of football in my house. My pictures, medals, trophies and certificates I have put them all in a box and out of my sight. I don’t want anything to do with the game again.

“My biggest regret as a footballer happened because I didn’t have the perseverance and patience required by a footballer to be able to make it big in the game. I never gave myself a fair chance to grow or applied the necessary discipline required to become a professional player.”

WORK, FAMILY

Fredericks, who says he studied theology, is a Christian content creator who preaches on his handle WordThinkers – with over 10 000 viewers on YouTube.

The retitered footballer married Priscilla Fredericks in 2014 and the couple has three children.

Fredericks, who is based at Keetmanshoop, is currently the regional manager of an insurance company, overseeing the company’s branches at Ariamsvlei, Karasburg, Lüderitz, Mariental, Oranjemund and Keetmanshoop.

“I enjoy my work, but travelling is very challenging. I am on the road a lot and I am not home as I should be. I am constantly away from my wife and children,” he says.

“When I was at Civics our captain Amos Shiyuka made sure I came with my school to the team camp. He made it clear to me that education comes first, and not the temporary fame I get from playing football. My advice to today’s players is to get an education.”

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