Lucky Lekgwathi (born 1 August 1976 in

Ga-Rankuwa Ga-Rankuwa is a large settlement located about 37 km north-west of Pretoria. Provincially it is in Gauteng province, but it used to fall in Bophuthatswana during the apartheid years, and under the North West province until the early 2000s. ...

Gauteng Gauteng ( ) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. The name in Sotho-Tswana languages means 'place of gold'. Situated on the Highveld, Gauteng is the smallest province by land area in South Africa. Although Gauteng accounts for only ...

) is a retired

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

defender who played and captained

Orlando Pirates Orlando Pirates Football Club (often known as "The Buccaneers") is a South African professional football club based in the Houghton suburb of the city of Johannesburg and plays in the top-tier system of Football in South Africa known as DStv ...

. He played for

at the

2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup The 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the eighth edition of the Gold Cup, the football championship of North America, Central America and the Caribbean (CONCACAF). It was contested in the United States in July 2005. The United States emerged victorious ...

, at which South Africa were guests. He is arguably

' most successful captain, having captained them to six major trophies in 2 seasons (2010/10 & 2011/12) making Pirates the only Double Treble Champions since the formation of the PSL. He was very instrumental in ending

' 8-year league drought, scoring crucial goals in the process, most notably a winner against

Supersport United SuperSport United Football Club (often known as SuperSport) is a South African professional football club based in Atteridgeville in Pretoria in the Gauteng province. The team currently plays in the Dstv Premiership. United is known as ''Matsats ...

. Many people call him 'Captain my Captain', possibly in reference to

Walt Whitman Walter Whitman (; May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was an American poet, essayist and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among t ...

s poem,

O Captain! My Captain! "O Captain! My Captain!" is an extended metaphor poem written by Walt Whitman in 1865 about Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, the death of U.S. president Abraham Lincoln. Well received upon publication, the poem was Whitman's first to be Anth ...

the club skipper had a hugely impressive 2010/11 and 2011/12 season, as he played a significant role in helping Orlando Pirates dominate South African Football for two consecutive seasons. The veteran defender became the clubs' darling and an inspirational leader to the younger players in the squad. He knew how to steer the ship during tough times. His most notorious contributions which will forever last in the memories of the club's faithful, is the diving header he scored against

Lamontville Golden Arrows F.C. Lamontville Golden Arrows F.C. are a South African soccer club based in Durban that plays in the Premier Soccer League. History It was founded in 1943 in the streets of Lamontville, a township in Durban. The club played in the defunct Nationa ...

in Durban in the last match of the 2011 season as Pirates went on to claim the league title after winning that match. He was also the goal scorer of an important goal away to

SuperSport United SuperSport United Football Club (often known as SuperSport) is a South African professional football club based in Atteridgeville in Pretoria in the Gauteng province. The team currently plays in the Dstv Premiership. United is known as ''Matsats ...

still in the 2011 season, a goal that gave the club an important win which eventually led to the team winning the league in Durban. He was an important figure in Pirates' excellent Campaign in the African Champions League where the team finished as runners up in 2013. Lucky represented the South African National team 13 times. His Pirates' debut:

5–0

Moroka Swallows Moroka Swallows Football Club (often known as simply Swallows or The Birds) is a South African professional football club based in Soweto in the city of Johannesburg in the Gauteng province. Founded in 1947, Swallows are one of the original two ...

(10 August 2002, BP Top 8)

Honours

*Club level: 2010/11 League winner, MTN8 winner, Nedbank Cup winner. 2011/12 League winner, MTN8 winner, Telkom Cup winner. 2013 CAF Champions League runners-up. 2013/14 Nedbank Cup winner. 2015 CAF Confederation Cup runners-up. 2008/09 Telkom Charity Cup winner, 2007/08 SAA Supa 8 runner-up. Telkom Charity Cup runner-up, Vodacom Challenge runner-up, 2006/07 Pirates' Most Improved Player of the Season. *2005/06 PSL runner-up, Absa Cup runner-up, Vodacom challenge champion, 2004/05 PSL runner-up, PSL's most perfectly team of the year, 2002/03 PSL champion (all with Pirates), 1999/00 PSL promotion (with Ria Stars) *National level: 13 Bafana Bafana caps, 2002 COSAFA Cup champion.

External links

* 1976 births Living people People from Ga-Rankuwa South African soccer players Association football defenders Orlando Pirates F.C. players South Africa international soccer players 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup players Sportspeople from Gauteng {{SouthAfrica-footy-bio-stub