Steve Mokone

Mokone attracted much attention in his native South Africa, making his debut for a South Africa Black XI at the age of just 16. The Durban Bush Bucks player was close to signing for English side Newcastle United but for the intervention of his father, who wished him to continue his studies. Mokone began his professional career in 1955 with English side Coventry City, where he made four league appearances, scoring one goal in the process. Although his stay at Coventry was a short one, he was the first Black footballer to play for them in the Football League. He later played in the Netherlands with Heracles Almelo, for whom he scored twice at his debut and won the 1958 Tweede Divisie title to become a club legend. He was the first foreign professional player in Dutch football. A stand in Heracles' Polman Stadion is named after him. He later joined Cardiff City, making a goalscoring debut on the opening day of the 1959–60 season on 22 August 1959 during a 3–2 victory over Liverpool. He made just two more league appearances for the side, before being signed in 1959 by Spanish side FC Barcelona. However, because Barcelona had filled their quota of foreign players, he was loaned to French side Marseille. Mokone later played in Italy for Torino and in Spain for Valencia CF, before finishing his career in Canada in the Eastern Canada Professional Soccer League with the Hamilton Steelers, where he served as a player-coach, and in Australia with Sunshine George Cross.