In his own words, Nicodemus Kudulu, famously paddling on the nickname ‘Cruyff, after Dutch legend Johan Cruyff, Kudulu confessed to New Era Sport that he was in fact a staunch supporter of Kuisebmund outfit Eleven Arrows Football Club, but strong tribal ties obligated him to start his amazing football career with their bitter rivals Blue Waters. 

Born at the Oshikuku village in the Omusati region, holed up in the northern part of the country, young Kudulu arrived in Walvis-Bay, aged seven to start his elementary education at the Immanuel Ruiter Primary School in the coastal harbor town. 

The raw village boy was just like many other children in the neighborhood, football crazy and would kick a football at the slightest provocation. He was appointed captain of the school’s senior football team. 

The flying winger started playing competitive football in organised structures with local outfits Kaizer Chiefs and Amazulu. Kudulu mentioned the late Billy Tuahepa, former Hungry Lions and Eleven Arrows midfield maestro, among his peers. 

“Eish…. that boy (Billy) was a phenomenal player, very skillful and possessed all the required attributes of a complete footballer,” recalls Kudulu with a twinkle of joy on his gradually ageing face. 

His next stop was Blue Waters’ second strings, where he showed some flashes of individual brilliance under the tutelage of club stalwart, the late Jerry Shikongo. It was not long before the free scoring young lad was elevated to the first team squad. 

Kudulu grabbed the opportunity with both hands and established himself as a vital cog in the Birds’ firing line alongside the equally dangerous quartet of Leo Kautondokwa, Striker Muaine, Costa Lucas, and the free-scoring Patrick Isaacks. 

The brother tasted sweet victory in a major cup tourney when the Birds clinched a pair of gold medals on home soil from the annual Isaac Kahatjipara and Samuel Thaniseb Floating Trophies in 1984. 

He was in the starting lineup when ‘Omeva’ confronted old foes African Stars in the final of the now defunct coveted Mainstay Cup at Windhoek Stadium in 1984. The Birds lost by a solitary goal (1-0), via Oscar Mengo’s Maradona ‘hand of God’ mimicked goal. 

Additionally, he had to be satisfied with another silver medal from the same competition when the Birds stumbled at the last hurdle against the Stars two years later in the same installment. 

We had a great team, but we never really won major competitions, as we always found ourselves eliminated in the semifinals or at the last hurdle (the final). However, Kudulu finally laid his hands on major silverware when he surprisingly crossed the floor to join forces with his boyhood team, Arrows. 

The slippery attacker announced his arrival with well-taken goals that propelled the maroon and gold stripe outfit to the final of the JPS Knockout Cup in 1988, to set up a date with former employer Blue Waters. 

Arrows came out top after dispatching their more fancied opponents 4-2 via a tense penalty shootout after a 2-all stalemate of the live televised electrifying final at the packed to the rafters Kuisebmund stadium. 

Kudulu’s impressive performance did not go unnoticed as he caught the sharp eyes of circling talent scouts from Portuguese outfit Sparta United Football Club. He was amongst the first group of athletes of color to join a predominantly white club alongside fellow darkies Bobby Kurtz, Ellen Dixon, Colin Lackey, and Julius ‘Mane’ Hagedoorn in that sequence. 

“To be brutally honest, I played my best football at United because I was surrounded by fantastic players such as Ronnie Dagnin, Uwe Bachmann, and the de Gouveia brothers, Ivo and Carlos. Ivo was very intelligent in addition to being a great leader on and off the field,” he said. 

A bird of passage, Kudulu made a quick retreat to the Birds nest where he continued from where he had left off, banging in goals as if the art of goal scoring was going out of fashion, only to wind up his career with newly formed Portuguese outfit CS Maritimo. 

Despite already cruising towards the sunset of his flourishing football career, Kudulu remained a principled bloke. He could no longer stomach unbecoming behavior from some of his new unsporting teammates. 

“My broer when I joined CS Maritimo there were a few players who came from Namib Woestyn. Those boys brought their township mentality to the club, stealing stuff from their teammates. Now you must understand that sort of uncool mannerism did not sit well with me, so I decided to quit the game for good” said Kudulu. 

Kudulu holds his close buddy and former African Stars dribbling wizard, the late ‘Juku’ Tjazuko, in high esteem. 

After retiring from competitive football, Kudulu relocated to the small town of Omaruru to start a new life, where he ran a backyard Spazza Shop. Unfortunately, his promising life journey was abruptly disrupted by a venomous spitting