Veteran Stellenbosch goalkeeper Lee Langeveldt received an emotional send-off at the weekend when he retired from the game, given a two-minute cameo at the end of Stellenbosch’s 2-0 win over Orbit College in the Betway Premiership.
The 39-year-old was brought on by Gavin Hunt at the start of stoppage time and pulled off a blinding save at the near post with the last touch of the game to keep the home side’s goal intact.
Langeveld is a long-serving player at Stellenbosch, having helped the club to win promotion in 2019.
A former South Africa under-23 international, he made his debut in October 2007 at Santos where he played until 2012, serving as understudy at the club.
He had a brief stint at Lamontville Golden Arrows as cover and for Stellenbosch was considered the quintessential club man, although in recent years he fell behind Sage Stephens and Oscarine Masuluke in the goalkeeper’s pecking order.
With Stephens suspended for the penultimate game of the season, Masuluke was in goal for Stellenbosch on Saturday and Langeveldt was back on the bench for the first time in almost two seasons.
Langeveldt was emotional as he came on and in a flood of tears after the final whistle, surrounded by teammates. The club presented him with a commemorative jersey afterwards as the home fans cheered him.
“I told him in the week, ‘I'm gonna bring you on’,” said coach Gavin Hunt.
“‘If we're two down, five down, five up, whatever, you’re coming on’. And he looked at me, and said, ‘No, you don't have to’. He hasn't played for years, but I believe players don't get enough respect,” added the Stellenbosch coach.
“You give a player respect after 20 years in the game. We need to create a little bit more history and legacy. I was also very emotional,” Hunt admitted.