Kombat
From his humble beginnings in a tiny village located in the far south-east of the country, young Nico van Staden is a star in the making and certainly not just an ordinary boy hanging around on the street corner.
It was marvellous to watch a fairly unknown young footballer going by the name of Nico bamboozling burly robust defenders with amazing dribbling skills and ball control, never seen in domestic football in a long time. It came as a big surprise to those who had the rare privilege of watching the 18-year-old lad who hails from Aroab, that he has not been selected for the national youth teams.
His football wizardry, respect and affinity for the spherical object as well as ball retention are absolutely awesome. The boy is the kind of athlete people would pay any kind of money to squeeze their bodies through the turnstiles to see how he bewitches the opposition.
Namibian football authorities would be best advised to cast their net wide by delving into remote areas if they are to unearth raw new talent.
Considering the naked truth that the highly talented dribbling wizard has never been exposed to decent development structures, Nico is a naturally gifted athlete and possesses all the required ingredients of a complete footballer.
A product of Aroab, Nico like many other boys in the neigbourhood would play football at any given time.
A free-scoring attacking midfielder blessed with a brilliant first touch, the fragile-frame Nico started playing football at the Oosterhein Primary School before he graduated to competitive football, when he joined local outfit Brazilian Chiefs.
“I knew from the beginning when I was playing street football that I was blessed with a god-given talent to play at the highest level,” says the soft-spoken young man.
His immediate wish is to attract attention from some of the leading clubs campaigning in the country’s topflight league so that he can showcase his talent in his quest to unleash his full potential.
“My ultimate aim is to play professional football, be it at home, South Africa or anywhere where my style of play is suited and will be appreciated, because I want to grow as a footballer and eventually represent my country one day”.