Cecil Lolo facts for kids
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Cecil Sonwabile Lolo | ||
| Date of birth | 11 March 1988 | ||
| Place of birth | Centane, Eastern Cape, South Africa | ||
| Date of death | 25 October 2015 (aged 27) | ||
| Place of death | Cape Town, South Africa | ||
| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Defender Midfielder |
||
| Youth career | |||
| African Tribes | |||
| 2001–2009 | Ajax Cape Town | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2009–2010 | → iKapa Sporting (loan) | ||
| 2009–2015 | Ajax Cape Town | 97 | (2) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 22 February 2011 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 22 February 2011 |
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Cecil Sonwabile Lolo (born 11 March 1988 – died 25 October 2015) was a talented South African professional football (soccer) player. He played as a defender and also as a midfielder for the team Ajax Cape Town.
Football Career
Playing for Clubs
Cecil Lolo started his professional football journey with Ajax Cape Town. His first big game was on 20 August 2010. He came on as a substitute in a MTN 8 quarter-final match against Mamelodi Sundowns.
The game ended in a 1-1 draw after extra time. Ajax Cape Town, also known as the "Urban Warriors," won the match 4–3 in a penalty shoot-out. Cecil Lolo even took one of the penalties!
He made his official league debut on 17 September 2010. This was in a game where Ajax Cape Town won 2–0 against Platinum Stars.
Cecil Lolo had been part of Ajax Cape Town's youth academy for many years. Before joining the main team, he played for iKapa Sporting for a short time. This was to gain more experience.
He scored his first goal on 15 February 2012. It was a thrilling match against Platinum Stars at the Cape Town Stadium. Ajax Cape Town made an amazing comeback. Matthew Booth and Lebogang Manyama scored goals in the last few minutes. Then, Cecil Lolo scored the winning goal in the 95th minute. This made the final score 3–2.
Cecil Lolo played a very important part in Ajax Cape Town winning the MTN 8 tournament. This happened on 19 September 2015. He was chosen as the best player in the final match against Kaizer Chiefs, which Ajax won 1–0.
His last ever match was on 26 September 2015. It was a 1–1 draw, also against Kaizer Chiefs. In total, Cecil Lolo played 114 games for Ajax Cape Town. He scored two goals and received 12 yellow cards. He never received a red card.
Fans really loved Cecil Lolo. They even made up popular songs about him. One famous rap song, "CoCo," had its lyrics changed by fans. They sang, "I'm in love with the Lolo" instead of "I'm in love with the CoCo."
Personal Life
Cecil Lolo's family came from Centane. This area is near Butterworth in the Eastern Cape. He had three children.
Death
Sadly, Cecil Lolo died in a car accident. This happened on 25 October 2015 in Khayelitsha. He was buried in Chebe, Kentani, in the Eastern Cape. His funeral was on 7 November 2015.
His Legacy
To honour Cecil Lolo, Ajax Cape Town decided to retire his jersey number. His number was 21. This means no other player at the club will wear the number 21 jersey again. The club's CEO announced this during a special memorial service for Cecil Lolo on 30 October 2015.
