Get an education, former midfielder urges 

Former Tigers midfield workhorse Rudolph ‘Ruuka’ Isaaks says despite the glitz and glamour that comes with playing for big clubs, he regrets not finishing Grade 12.

Although he received recognition from the junior national national team selectors that called him up for the Cosafa Zone Six under-20 football tournament in Lesotho in 1990, he never had another chance to represent Namibia at international level.

“I am proud to have been part of the first junior national team to represent our beloved country beyond our borders. Playing in the Cosafa under-20 tournament was really both an eye-opening and thrilling experience,” he says.

“We proved to our opponents during the tournament that Namibia has talented young players who were willing to compete.”

The Windhoek-born star says although they were thumped 3-0 by host nation Lesotho in their opening match, they went on to beat Swaziland 1-0 thanks to his lone goal of the match, before they forked out a one-all draw against Botswana.

“Our defeat against Lesotho was mainly due to inexperience,” the retired midfielder says.

Despite picking up a point against neighbours Botswana, the Young Warriors fell 2-0 against defending champions and eventual winners of the prestigious regional tournament Zambia, who were also represented by a powerful and battle-ready team.

Growing up in Katutura, Isaaks honed his skills at Nama Location with his childhood friends.

The box-to-box midfielder won the admiration of Tigers faithfuls as he laboured tirelessly in the Ingweinyama engine room in their quest for success.

Not too bad for someone who, until his 16th birthday, still thought that his future as a footballer was that of preventing the opposition from scoring as a goalkeeper.

So much so that he once attended the under-16 national team trials as a goalkeeper.

It was only until he decided to play upfield, that he started reaching his full potential.

Isaaks spent two seasons with the Shandumbala-based outfit before he made a switch to Orlando Pirates, the club that was co-founded by his father, Ismael ‘Lemmy Special’ Narib, whose goalscoring prowess has earned him legendary status at Pirates.

Isaaks’ trek to the Katutura Buccaneers was, however, short-lived as he saw himself back in the company of seasoned stars like Bandike ‘Banks’ Ochurub, Mentos ‘Metuu’ Hipondoka, Forresta ‘Let Them Dance’ Nicodemus and the evergreen Hofni ‘Gray’ Uumati.

“I may come from a Pirates home, and I even grew up surrounded by Pirates supporters, but it was at Tigers where I felt at home. The management, players and supporters of Tigers were so appreciative of my contributions to the team,” he says.

“I really put in a good shift at Tigers whenever I was given the opportunity to play. I was not one of the most exciting players of the team.

“We had ball jugglers like Harmuth ‘Teenage’ Iyambo, Alele ‘Zico’ Kapule and Gerson Gowaseb, who have all departed, unfortunately.”

Isaaks was never one who resorted to showing off, but no one can question the tremendous influence he had on his teammates.

“I was more worried about winning my battles and dominating the midfield, because it is the engine of any team. If you dominate the midfield then your battle is half won, because you are now letting your opponent chase you instead of allowing them to play their normal game.

“Football is a very tactical game. You have to think when to release the ball to your teammates, while you also have to make sure you are ready to thwart off any counter-attack in case you lose possession of the ball. It is always better to stick to the basics,” he says.

The closest Isaaks came to winning a major trophy with Tigers was with a semi-final placing in the Novel Ford Cup, which saw them bowing out to Walvis Bay outfit Explorer X1 after a penalty shoot-out.

Ironically, Isaaks mentions Tigers semi-final win over Pirates in a local top-eight tournament as his most memorable match.

“It was a real battle. We were up against a powerful Pirates team, which was driven by the ultra-talented Axab ‘General’ Auchamp and maestro Brian Greeves from midfield. Gerson (Gowaseb) who happens to be Auchamp’s younger brother, and I had a plan worked out.

“I was doing the spade work by running and blocking Auchamp’s every attempt to get proper control of the ball, which I aptly gave to Gerson to play, because he was the playmaker of our team. We made sure that Auchamp never settled down throughout that match,” he says.

WORK, FAMILY

Isaaks is married to his childhood sweetheart Halwe, and the couple has four children.

The former school athlete is currently responsible for maintenance at Delta Secondary School.

“Despite the glitz and glamour that comes with playing for big clubs like Tigers and Pirates, I regret not finishing Grade 12. I wanted to continue my educational journey after football.

“My life is definitely not the way I wanted it to be. It was always my wish to get an education, have a good job and live a decent life with my family,” he says.