Owen Da Gama's career overseas is not spoken about enough and yet he is one of the players who raised the South African flag, to a point where he was called up to play in a match which featured greats George Best and Kevin Keegan.
Soccer Laduma spoke to the man who was a lethal striker to find out what his times in Belgium and Ireland were like back in the 80s.
The clubs
I played for Beerschot in Belgium. There were two teams in Antwerp. It was Antwerp FC and Beerschot and Beerschot was one of the oldest teams in Belgium. I was there for two season and then I was loaned out to Derry City in Ireland because at the time I had come from South Africa and they didn't even need a clearance from me. We were not under FIFA, so I was the cheapest player there (at Beerschot). They had a lot of imports from Brazil, Sweden, Finland and from Russia and they could only field three foreigners at a time. I think we were nine, but I still featured a lot because the coach really liked me. But when a new coach came, two years later, then he came with his own players. He was from Bulgaria and he came with his own players and then it was a bit of a mess there. Because they didn't want to lose me, they loaned me out to Derry City. They are based in Nothern Ireland, but they play their home games in the Republic of Ireland.
I went there with a Brazilian guy, Nelson De Silva. We went there on loan. If a team sends you out on loan, there is nothing you can do and we looked at it as a stepping stone. I had a fantastic time with Derry City and I think that's where I had my greatest success as a player. I won everything - Irish player of the year and players' player of the year. It's funny how you are not recognised by your own team, but when you go somewhere, you become a big hit. But I'll tell you that the racism in Belgium was profound. It was so open because there was an influx of Moroccans into Belgium in the earlier years. I was looked at as a Moroccan and they hated the Moroccans in Belgium. I had to wear a cap which said 'I love South Africa' and then people would look at me differently. Once they knew I was from South Africa, I was welcomed and loved. I did well at Derry City and then I was bought by a team in Spain called Figueres. It was a first division team, 100 kilometres away from Barcelona. I spent three months there, but I couldn't get my work permit and they couldn't also register me back in Ireland, so the agreement was that I would come back to South Africa until the papers could be sorted out. At the time, there was a sports embargo against all South Africans. There was a ban of South Africans in Europe. European countries started clamping down on the apartheid government, so I couldn't get my work permit. So, I came back home and that was my spell in Europe.
How the move happened
There was a guy called Kai Johanson. He was a Danish coach here in South Africa. He coached Dynamos and Pretoria Callies. He took me from Colchester to Pretoria Callies. When he went to Dynamos, he took me with. Then some scouts came from Belgium to have a look at some games in South Africa. I was playing for Dynamos, but the scouts had come specifically to look at players from Chiefs and Pirates. We happened to play against Pirates, Chiefs and then we played Bush Bucks. This was in 1985, when Bush Bucks won the league under Clive Barker. When we played Pirates, I scored a hat-trick. Then I scored two goals against Chiefs. We were not aware of scouts because they came to look at the Chiefs and Pirates players. Then we played against Bush Bucks and I scored another two goals. So, I scored seven goals in the space of three weeks. Kai Johanson knew one of the scouts and he said to them 'why aren't you looking at this guy?' Then they said I should definitely come for trials. That's how I went to Belgium. When things are meant to happen, they are meant to happen.
My first day in Europe
I can remember my first day. I flew to Brussels and then the manager (of Beerschot) picked me up. It was raining so hard and I had just flown 12 hours. It was the first time I had flown so long and it was the first time I flew outside South Africa. It was really a new experience. I was heavily jet-lagged, but because I was in good shape, it didn't show much. The manager said we should go straight to training to introduce me to everyone. He said I don't have to train because I had just arrived. I was introduced to everybody and then the manager said I should go to the kit manager so that he can get my sizes. The plan was for me to start training the following day. But I think there was a misunderstanding. The kit manager said 'get dressed', so I thought I heard wrong because I was told I would train the next day. But then I put on my kit and boots and the coached said 'are you sure you can train?' I wanted it so badly, so I said 'yes'. I trained and that was the first good impression of mine to the club. I was basically on trials, so I asked them if I could train with the first team in the evening. I was training in the morning, the afternoon and in the evening and that left a good impression on them. Four or five months down the line, the coach called me for the first team, and as time went on, I was banging them in. I had also been banging them in for the reserve team.
My debut
In my first game against Beveren, I scored. I was very nervous, I must be honest. It was a really big stage for me. I scored, but then I was replaced five minutes later and then in the next game, the coach dropped me. I was back to the reserves. I could not understand that, but the senior players were coming to me and telling me not to worry. They told me to work hard and I would stay behind after training and do extra work and I would help pack the balls. After the third game, he brought me in and I was never left out of the team again. But it's how they test your mental strength. You must be mentally strong. Whether you are on the bench or with the reserves, your attitude must be spot on. You've got to be humble and professional. That was basically how it started for me in Belgium, until it got better and better. It's only when the new coach came that things changed.
The rands and cents
The money was very good. My father was a principal and I was earning per month what my father was earning a year. It was really on another level. It changed my life. It didn't only change my life, it changed a lot of people's lives.
The best player I played with
It was Horst Hrubesch. He played for Germany in the World Cup and he is one of those you looked up to in the team. He was a striker. I also played with Patrick Vervoort. He played for Belgium.
The best player I played against
I remember we played against Jean-Pierre Papin. He was from France. We also played against Enzo Scifo, who played for Anderlecht. He went on to play for Inter Milan. We played against a number of great players. Even the current coach of South Africa, Hugo Broos. He was like semi-retired. He was older and we were young.
Best highlight
It was in Ireland where I got the awards at Derry City. But probably my biggest highlight was when I played in Pat Jennings' testimonial match. He was an Irish goalkeeper who played for Arsenal and quite a number of teams. On the day, there was George Best (Manchester United legend). I shared a field with George Best and Kevin Keegan and Bruce Grobelaar was there. It was really the highlight of my career to be on the same field as George Best, and he actually scored that day. I came on as substitute. They had Irish players who were doing well abroad and in Ireland that were doing well. At the time, I was on top of my game and I was Irish player of the season, so they included me in the testimonial match. So, sharing a dressing room and field with George Best was the highlight of my career.
Worst moment
It's when I couldn't get a work permit to play in Spain. That was the worst moment of my life, because I had worked so hard in Belgium and Ireland and it was now my time to go to Spain. I went to Spain and I was welcomed. I had a driver and they were going to teach me how to speak the language. I had my own villa with a lady who would come cook for me and clean up. It was something out of this world. When I had to leave Spain because my visa was up and couldn't get a work permit, it blew my world apart.
