🐣 Gem of the week: Emile Witbooi 🇿🇦
Every week, OneFootball introduces you to the new gems of world football. Today, we're heading to Cape Town!
After closely following the U17 Africa Cup, we were impressed by a dozen hidden talents from the continent of Mandela. One of the brightest gems of this competition is South African: Emile Witbooi.
Emile Witbooi's skills speak for themselves. 🇿🇦The journey's just beginning. 👀@Football2Gether | #TotalEnergiesAFCONU17 pic.twitter.com/NCcPtKSaTX
— CAF_Online (@CAF_Online) April 9, 2025
Last March, Witbooi made his professional debut at the age of 16 in the South African championship (one of the most competitive on the continent), becoming the youngest player in Cape Town City's history. A record of precocity that calls for others.
Long before stepping onto the Premiership pitches, he had started training with the first team at the age of... 15!
History made ✨A proud moment as Emile Witbooi, at just 16 years, 6 months, and 2 days old, becomes the youngest player to ever represent Cape Town CityA special milestone 💎#iamCityFC pic.twitter.com/bqmdSxpZKK
— Cape Town City FC (@CapeTownCityFC) March 2, 2025
Witbooi's signature move is the step-over. He uses his low center of gravity to his advantage and always looks to operate vertically. A true old-school number 10 who fits with the long tradition of tiki-taka of the Bafana Bafana.
Orphaned by the legendary Steven Pienaar, South Africa has been searching for a top-notch metronome for many years. Witbooi could well embody this talismanic figure in the future. No doubt he has the intellectual football quotient to achieve it.
Last November, Witbooi was invited by Chelsea for a four-week training session in the U18 category. The London club has already sniffed out the good deal. Other contenders may rush to the gate. Meanwhile, Puma and Roc Nation have already taken him under their wing.
Witbooi's emergence confirms a clear trend: South African football is on the rise. Semi-finalists of the 2024 CAN and winners of the U20 CAN, the Bafana Bafana are finally capitalizing on their local nurseries.
An image to summarize Emile Witbooi's dazzling dribbles. For the love of the step-over.
Also read:
- The five revelations of the U17 Africa Cup
- The gem of the week: Malian Seydou Dembélé
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