Teko Modise facts for kids
Modise playing with South Africa at the 2010 FIFA World Cup
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Teko Tsholofelo Modise | ||
| Date of birth | 22 December 1982 | ||
| Place of birth | Meadowlands, South Africa | ||
| Height | 1.69 m | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Cape Town City (staff) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Coventry (South Africa) | |||
| City Rebels | |||
| Ria Stars | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2001–2002 | Ria Stars | 6 | (0) |
| 2002–2006 | City Pillars | 66 | (21) |
| 2006–2007 | SuperSport United | 33 | (10) |
| 2007–2011 | Orlando Pirates | 93 | (30) |
| 2011–2017 | Mamelodi Sundowns | 145 | (4) |
| 2017–2019 | Cape Town City | 20 | (1) |
| Total | 363 | (58) | |
| National team | |||
| 2007–2012 | South Africa | 66 | (10) |
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Teko Tsholofelo Modise (born 22 December 1982) is a famous South African retired professional footballer. People called him The General and Techno M. He used to be the captain of the Bafana Bafana (South Africa's national team). Teko Modise played as a midfielder and now works for Cape Town City Football Club.
Many people think Modise is one of the best players in the PSL (South Africa's top football league). He started his career in smaller leagues with Ria Stars and City Pillars. While playing for City Pillars, he won an award for being the best player in the Mvela Golden League. This helped him move to a bigger team, SuperSport United, in 2006.
The next year, he joined Orlando Pirates. He played there for six years and won two PSL Footballer of the Year awards. He also helped the team win two club trophies. At Pirates, he got the nickname "the General" because he was so good at controlling the game. He also became a regular player for the national team.
In 2011, he moved to Mamelodi Sundowns. He played there for another six years and won five club titles. He was even the team captain for the 2012–13 season. In 2017, he decided to join Cape Town City and played there until he retired in 2019.
Modise also played 66 games for the South Africa national team between 2007 and 2012. He played for his country in big tournaments like the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, and the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Contents
Growing Up and Starting Football
Teko Modise was born in Meadowlands, South Africa. He is the youngest of three children and was raised by his mother in Diepkloof, Soweto. His father, who supported Kaizer Chiefs, introduced him to football when he was very young. However, he lost touch with his father when he was ten years old.
As he grew up, he played for local amateur teams called Coventry and City Rebels. When he was seventeen, he joined Ria Stars.
Playing for Clubs
Ria Stars: His First Professional Team
Modise joined Ria Stars in 1999. A former player, Steve Mnguni, saw his talent and signed him. Teko played his first professional game in the PSL on 2 September 2001. It was a 1–1 draw against Bidvest Wits. This was his only season with Ria Stars because the club was bought by the PSL and stopped playing.
City Pillars: Becoming a Star
After Ria Stars closed, Modise signed with City Pillars, a team in the Mvela Golden League. He played more than 60 games for them between 2002 and 2006. He scored many goals and won the league's Player of the Season award in May 2006. Modise also helped City Pillars reach the last 16 of the Nedbank Cup. Even though they lost to Kaizer Chiefs, he scored two goals in that game.
SuperSport United: A Quick Stop
In August 2006, Teko Modise returned to the PSL, joining SuperSport United. The team was managed by Pitso Mosimane, who was also an assistant coach for Bafana Bafana. Modise only stayed with SuperSport United for one season before moving to their rivals, Orlando Pirates, in 2007.
Orlando Pirates: The General's Reign
Teko Modise signed a three-year deal with Orlando Pirates. In his first season, he won the very first PSL Footballer of the Year award and was also named SAFA Footballer of the Year. The next season, he helped Pirates finish second in the league and reach the final of the Telkom Knockout. Because of his great performance, he won the PSL Footballer of the Year and SAFA Footballer of the Year awards again. He also won the Player's Player of the Season award.
Modise's success in South Africa caught the eye of teams from other countries, like Premier League clubs Aston Villa, Man City, and Wigan. However, Orlando Pirates did not want to sell him. This caused some difficulties in his relationship with the club.
Mamelodi Sundowns: Winning Trophies
On 27 January 2011, Teko Modise joined Mamelodi Sundowns. When Pitso Mosimane became the head coach, Modise was made club captain in his second season. He later helped the team win the 2013-14 Premier Soccer League trophy in 2014. He even scored a goal in the 3–0 win over SuperSport United that secured the title.
At the end of the 2014–15 season, he played 32 games and scored eight goals. He was named the Nedbank Cup Player of the Tournament and the PSL Midfielder of the Season. Modise played over 150 games for Sundowns. In his last season, he was part of the team that won the CAF Champions League in 2016.
On 27 June 2017, he left Mamelodi Sundowns. During his time there, he won six trophies, including two PSL titles, the Nedbank Cup, Telkom Knockout, CAF Champions League, and CAF Super Cup.
Cape Town City: Finishing Strong
Less than a month after leaving Sundowns, Modise signed with Cape Town City on 12 July 2017. He played his first game on 23 August, coming on as a substitute. He scored Cape Town City's third goal in a 3–1 win against Platinum Stars.
Playing for His Country
Teko Modise had not played for South Africa's youth teams before. He made his first appearance for the South Africa national team on 26 May 2007 against Malawi in the 2007 COSAFA Cup. He scored his first international goals against Mauritius during the same tournament, which South Africa won. Modise also won the Player of the Tournament award. The next year, he was chosen to play for South Africa in the 2008 African Nations Cup in Ghana.
In 2009, Modise was part of South Africa's team for the Confederations Cup. On 14 June 2009, he was named the Budweiser Man of the Match in the opening game against Iraq. On 24 May 2010, he captained South Africa in his 50th game against Bulgaria. He was the 27th player to captain the nation and reached 50 games faster than anyone else. Three days later, he scored his tenth international goal in a 2–1 friendly win over Colombia. He was then selected for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, which South Africa hosted.
Modise's last game for South Africa was on 14 November 2012 against Poland. In total, he played 66 games for the national team and scored 10 goals.
Life After Playing Football
After retiring from playing at the end of the 2018–19 season, Teko Modise continued to work at the offices of Cape Town City.
In September 2021, Modise returned to Chloorkop, where he had played for Mamelodi Sundowns. He became an ambassador for Sundowns, along with his former teammate Tiyani 'Shuga' Mabunda. Modise also works as a matchday analyst for SuperSport TV.
Outside Football
Sponsorships and Endorsements
When he played for Orlando Pirates, Modise became an ambassador for global companies like McDonald's for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He also worked as an ambassador for Coca-Cola, Nike, Telkom, and Samsung. Nike chose him as one of only ten global stars to wear a special pink Mercurial SuperFly boot. Other famous players like Cristiano Ronaldo and Didier Drogba also wore these boots. In 2015, Modise left Nike and signed a sponsorship deal with Adidas.
In 2016, Modise became a brand ambassador for the car company Volkswagen. He received a 2016 Golf GTI. After moving to Cape Town City, he was endorsed by Lexus.
Family Life
Teko Modise married Felicia in 2010, and they have a daughter together. They later divorced in 2013. After his separation, Modise started a relationship with model Lizelle Tabane.
In 2017, Modise released a book called The Curse of Teko Modise.
In October 2021, Modise married influencer Koketso "Kokieberry" Chipane. They had a traditional wedding in 2018 and are expecting their first child together.
Career Statistics
International Goals
- Scores and results list South Africa's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Modise goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 27 May 2007 | Lobamba, Swaziland |  Mauritius |
1–0 | 2–0 | COSAFA Cup |
| 2 | 2–0 | |||||
| 3 | 29 September 2007 | Atteridgeville, South Africa |  Botswana |
1–0 | 1–0 | COSAFA Cup |
| 4 | 20 November 2007 | Durban, South Africa |  Canada |
1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly match |
| 5 | 2–0 | |||||
| 6 | 19 August 2008 | London, England |  Australia |
2–2 | 2–2 | Friendly match |
| 7 | 19 November 2008 | Rustenburg, South Africa |  Cameroon |
1–0 | 3–2 | Nelson Mandela Challenge |
| 8 | 2–0 | |||||
| 9 | 27 January 2009 | Atteridgeville, South Africa |  Zambia |
1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly match |
| 10 | 27 May 2010 | Johannesburg, South Africa |  Colombia |
1–0 | 2–1 | Friendly match |
Honours and Awards
Teko Modise won many awards and trophies during his career:
With Mamelodi Sundowns
- Premier Soccer League: 2013–14, 2015–16 (won the league title twice)
- Nedbank Cup: 2015 (won a major cup competition)
- Telkom Knockout: 2015 (won another cup competition)
- CAF Champions League: 2016 (won Africa's biggest club competition)
- CAF Super Cup: 2017 (won a super cup against another African champion)
With Orlando Pirates
- MTN 8: 2010 (won a top-eight cup)
- Telkom Charity Cup: 2008, 2009 (won a charity tournament)
With Cape Town City
- MTN 8: 2018 (won another top-eight cup)
With South Africa National Team
- COSAFA Cup: 2007 (won a regional tournament)
Individual Awards
- Mvela Golden League Player of the Season: 2005–06 (best player in a lower league)
- PSL Footballer of the Year: 2008, 2009 (best player in the top league, twice)
- COSAFA Cup Player of the Tournament: 2007 (best player in the regional tournament)
- PSL Midfielder of the Season: 2015 (best midfielder in the top league)
- Nedbank Cup: Player of the Tournament: 2015 (best player in the Nedbank Cup)
- Football Player of the decade - RSA: Setshaba Thamaga Independent Awards: 2017 (recognized as one of the best players of the decade)
Images for kids
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Teko Modise playing for South Africa
See also
In Spanish: Teko Modise para niños
