Much-travelled Brave Warriors retired free-scoring midfielder Quinton Jacobs, aka “Magic” or “Querra” in football circles, is arguably the finest footballer of his generation. He easily ranks amongst the most talented athletes to ever have walked on Namibian soil in recent years.
A marvel to watch, the left-footed midfield genius had the potential to ply his trade at the highest level of global football had it not been for Namibia’s low world ranking.
He was invited by English giants Manchester United for trials and managed to cruise unscathed through the test with flying colours – only to be hamstrung by his county’s low ranking. Authorities could not grant him the required working documents, thus abbreviating his dream of playing for one of the greatest clubs in world football.
Nonetheless, this did not stop him from testing his mettle at international level as he resurfaced at ambitious Scottish outfit Partick Thistles. The Namibian easily won the hearts of the football-crazy nation and one of his former teammates Liam Mcvey, nowadays a taxi driver in Glasgow, recently spoke highly of the magical football genius.
The latter described Jacobs as one of the greatest talents he had ever come across in a light conversation with former Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) executive sport producer Lindsay Scott in his native Scotland.
WINDHOEK - Like many highly gifted athletes, inspirational retired Brave Warriors’ blue-eyed boy Quinton Jacobs was certainly not a saint.
The extremely gifted playmaker would sporadically find himself in hot water with club officials and coaches for his outspokenness, but it was on the field of play where he did the talking, hypnotising football lovers to sit on the edge of their seats as he displayed breathtaking performances week in and week out.
“Querra” was the kind of player enticing football fans to squeeze their bodies through the turnstiles with his magical touches. A great passer of the ball, the strongly built left-footed midfielder was equally at home with a brilliant first touch and could shoot from range, whilst his vision ball distribution was something out of this world.
The much-decorated highly gifted midfield genius was the kind of player any coach could build their teams around. His arrogance on the ball made him the darling of domestic football, the kind of player people would pay any kind of money to go and watch him bewitch the spherical object with relative ease at any given time.
Like many other young boys his age growing up in the country’s largest residential area Katutura, holed up in the north-western side of Namibia’s commercial capital Windhoek, Magic started his football career with Gemengde outfit Eastern Jumpers, in the lower division, demonstrating glimpses of a potential great athlete.
However, it was not long before other teams from the neighbourhood started sniffing around knocking on the door for his signature. This ultimately hastened the often misunderstood silky midfielder to develop itchy feet.
“Querra” stepped up a notch as he joined forces with unfashionable police outfit Nampol Football Club to form a deadly combination alongside deadly goal poacher Ewaldt Hoeseb, before trekking to exciting Khomasdal outfit Young Ones, campaigning in the country’s elite football league, NPL.
Strangely, “Querra” never played for his boyhood team Orlando Pirates where his old man Rudolph Jacobs, an astute football administrator, served the Ghosts with distinction in the mid-eighties. Jacobs senior, also served as an executive member of the now defunct Central Football Association (CFA).
He made his international debut for the Brave Warriors in the 2-1 victory against the visiting Malawi at Windhoek’s Independence Stadium in 1997 and went on to amass an amazing tally of 51 caps for his motherland, complemented by a six-goal tally to his credit for the national senior football team,
His next stop was Katutura giants Black Africa where he continued with his good vein of form. “Querra” was subsequently snapped up by Scottish club Partick Thistles before homesickness got the better of him.
The magical midfield general returned home after an otherwise prematurely interrupted successful short stint in the United Kingdom – joining compatriot Eliphas “Safile” Shivute, who was at the time plying his trade with Motherwell in the Scottish elite football league, in 1998.
Upon his return to his motherland, “Querra” resurfaced at South African Premier League (PSL) in the black and gold strip of Black Leopards and also had stints with Ajax Cape Town and Jomo Cosmos, though the move to the latter was curtailed by work permit issues.
The boy with the delicious left foot then signed for German club MSV Duisburg in the highly competitive Bundesliga second tier league.
The much-travelled attacking midfielder enjoyed successes in Norway before moving to the less glamorous Indian Super League, playing for various top clubs such as Sikkim United, Mohun Bagan, and Salgaocar football clubs, tailed by a relatively short stint with Katutura giants Tigers FC. .
Ambitious Pionierspark outfit Ramblers waited in the wings to welcome “Querra” back home and the trickster wasted little time to reward the Tunschell Street boys when he almost single-handedly propelled the Henrico Botes-inspired “Rammies to a penalty shootout triumph over former team Black Africa at Windhoek’s Independence Stadium in 2005.
And by the time local business mogul Sidney Martin took over the reins at Katutura glamour football club African Stars, in 2007, “Querra” was amongst the new arrivals as Martin took the club to another level having also recruited much-decorated mentor Bobby Samaria.
His midfield display strengthened the team significantly, boosting the club’s turnstiles. “Querra” formed a telepathic partnership with stocky midfielder and former Ramblers teammate Rudi “Gazza” Louw in Starlile’s smooth-sailing engine room.
The pair’s near faultless display propelled the admirable terrible twins to be afforded the freedom of the vastly populated often volatile Ovaherero/Ovambanderu location by the Reds’ usually hard-to-please supporters.
He was to play a pivotal role in Namibia’s astonishing march towards the 2008 Afcon finals in Ghana, featuring in all three group matches against Morocco (1-5) hosts Ghana (0-1 Accra) and Guinea (1-1).
The midfielder sent shockwaves amongst many local football fans when he suddenly walked away from the game for good while still at the pinnacle of his flourishing football career – much to the chagrin of many his admirers.