Name: Mohammed Ouseb
Date of Birth: 17/07/1974
Place of Birth: Tsumeb
Nickname: Slice
Former clubs: Chief Santos (NA), Kaizer Chiefs, Moroka Swallows
(both SA) and FC Lyn Oslo (Norway).
Namibian football legend Mohammed Ouseb is regarded as one of the finest defenders to have ever donned the famous gold and black colours of Kaizer Chiefs. The retired Namibian defender is most famous for his ‘Spanish tackles’ and was a pillar of strength for the South African giants in the late 90s.
Here is a revived interview with kaizerchiefs.com, where Ouseb talks about his favourite stadium, how he joined Chiefs and much more.
Finding my way to Kaizer Chiefs…
We were playing in the Cosafa Cup against Bafana Bafana and Bra Stan Tshabalala was around to check on Robert Nauseb. I must have impressed him because he asked me to come down to SA for trials. I was signed after two or three training sessions.
My debut….
I am not up to date about my debut but when I arrived, there were players like Brian Baloyi, Niel Tovey, my compatriot Robert Nauseb, Doctor Khumalo, Robson Muchichwa, Jacob Tshisevhe, Thabo Mooki, Thabang Lebese, Marc Batchelor, Disco Makua and youngsters like Jabu Pule, Lucky Maselesele, Ace Mbuthu and many others. I had a great first season to my soccer career.
My best goal…
I do not really have any specific one. I scored around five goals and all of them were from outside the 18 yards (long range)…hahaha.
The highlight of my career…
Mhmmm…everything I achieved in my first season, winning the Rothmans Cup was a collective effort and my personal achievements – the Club’s Player of the Year, Kickoff Player of the Year and picking up a few Player of the Month awards along the way. That was fantastic!
The team I wanted to beat most…
I am a born winner and wanted to achieve best results against all the teams we faced. I must admit as time passed, my battles with Jerry Skhosana from Orlando Pirates made me look forward to the Soweto derby!
The best striker I played against…
Daniel ‘Mambush’ Mudau! He was not the biggest of them but he had an advantage in that small frame, he was very mobile, dangerous in the box and a good finisher. His trickery and his off-the-ball runs were sometimes too much for a defender to handle, I tell you.
My best buddy…
Robert was my best friend, I hang around with him for obvious reasons – we were both from Namibia... hahaha. A very nice guy to be around with, same language etc…When coach Muhsin Ertugral joined us, we had different roommates for every game.
How I got my nickname, Slice…
‘Slice’! I got the nickname from a brother called Clive Gawanab, a family friend. I first heard about it in the late 80’s. I was one of the best in sliding tackles, that’s how he came up with the name.
My favourite coach…
I still regard both Paul Dolezar and Ertugral highly. Dolezar was fun to be around, always making jokes and he was tactically good and very funny character. I think the Khosi family is my witness. Ertugral was different – from his first meeting with players, we knew here is a guy who takes his job seriously and a disciplinarian, but he brought new ideas to the team as well. Both great guys!
My favourite pitch….
I would say Ellis Park…we could feel the supporters just here on the touchline, just the atmosphere they created, because the stands are so close to the pitch. Ogg, I hated Cape Town’s Athlone Stadium.