Andries "Six Mabone" Maseko (25 December 1955 – 26 October 2013) was a South African

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

striker who played for

Moroka Swallows Moroka Swallows Football Club (often referred to as Swallows or The Birds) is a South African professional football club based in Soweto, Johannesburg, in the Gauteng province. Founded in 1947, Swallows are one of the original two Soweto clubs ...

San Jose Earthquakes The San Jose Earthquakes are an American professional association football, soccer club based in San Jose, California. The Earthquakes compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. Origin ...

Washington Diplomats The Washington Diplomats were an American soccer club representing Washington, D.C. Throughout their playing existence, the club played their home games at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium and indoor home matches at the neighboring D.C. A ...

and Phoenix Inferno.

Early life

Maseko was born to Ephraim and Lettie Maseko (born 1914) in

KwaThema KwaThema is a township south-west of Springs in the district of Ekurhuleni, Gauteng, South Africa. It was established in 1951 when Africans were forcibly removed from Payneville because it was considered by the apartheid government to be too clos ...

. Ephraim Maseko died before he turned professional in 1972.

Playing career

In 1970, he joined

from amateur club Harmed Stars at the age of 15. During a 1974 NPSL match against Umlazi Citizens, Maseko scored 8 goals in 13-1 win at the Sinaba Stadium,

Daveyton Daveyton is a township (South Africa), township in the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality of Gauteng in South Africa. It borders Etwatwa to the north-east, Springs, Gauteng, Springs to the south and Benoni, Gauteng, Benoni to the south-west. The ...

. He was part of the Swallows era where the players were known as the 'Massacres' because majority of their surnames started with 'M'. The side include like Frederick Malebane, Mongezi Joel Mnini, Trott Nchilo Moloto, Ephraim Mashaba, Jimmy Mahlangu and Daniel Mophosho. He joined

in 1978 and became one of the few South African black players in America alongside Abednigo Ngcobo,

Jomo Sono Ephraim Matsilele Sono OIS (born Madoda Walletjies Mkulwana, 17 July 1955), better known as Jomo Sono, is a South African football club owner, coach and former professional footballer. He has been variously nicknamed the "Black Prince of Sout ...

Kaizer Motaung Kaizer Motaung OIS (born 16 October 1944) is a former South African association football player and founder of Kaizer Chiefs FC, of which he is chairman and managing director. He was nicknamed "Chincha Guluva". Early life Born in the Orla ...

and Patrick Ntsoelengoe. During his spell at Washington Diplomats, he was a teammate of

Johan Cruyff Hendrik Johannes Cruijff (25 April 1947 – 24 March 2016), internationally known as Johan Cruyff (), was a Dutch professional Association football, football player and Manager (association football), manager. Regarded as one of the greatest ...

. Maseko left Washington Diplomats in 1982 and joined

and played together with

George Best George Best (22 May 1946 – 25 November 2005) was a Northern Irish professional association football, footballer who played as a winger (association football), winger, spending most of his club career at Manchester United F.C., Manchester Un ...

. After leaving San Jose Earthquakes, he had a short spell at Phoenix Inferno before returning to South Africa to play for Benoni United. He retired at the age of 30 during his spell at Grinaker Rangers due to a groin injury which made him limp from years after that. Maseko said "The injury was a blow to my career as I was forced to hang up my boots for good, if it wasn't for that I would have played for a few more years".

International career

Maseko was in the South African team that defeated

Rhodesia Rhodesia ( , ; ), officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state, unrecognised state in Southern Africa that existed from 1965 to 1979. Rhodesia served as the ''de facto'' Succession of states, successor state to the ...

by a score of 7-0 in 1977 at Rand Stadium in

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and Xhosa language, Xhosa: eGoli ) (colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, Jo'burg or "The City of Gold") is the most populous city in South Africa. With 5,538,596 people in the City of Johannesburg alon ...

. He also played against an unofficial selection from

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

and helped beat them 7-0. The previous night he,

, Lawrence Chelin and Patrick Ntsoelengoe spent the night in Banks Setlhodi's room planning how they would play and shared the goals among themselves.

Personal life

He was married to Gladys Maseko and had three children.

Death

Maseko died on 26 October 2013 at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital after he was admitted on Thursday the 24th. Banks Setlhodi said "I knew Andries way before he joined Moroka Swallows. As a footballer, we all know that he was one of the best players but, on a personal level, he was very humble and down-to-earth...We just connected with him on another level, even away from football. He was one of the greatest guys I have ever come across."

Style of play

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maseko, Andries 1955 births 2013 deaths People from KwaThema Men's association football midfielders South African men's soccer players South African expatriate men's soccer players South Africa men's international soccer players Moroka Swallows F.C. players Washington Diplomats (NASL) players San Jose Earthquakes (1974–1988) players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players Phoenix Inferno players Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) players South African expatriate sportspeople in the United States Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States Soccer players from Gauteng 20th-century South African sportsmen