David Beckham
‘Goldenballs’ captained England in Durban when they came to help South Africa’s World Cup bid campaign by playing a friendly at Durban in May 2003. It was a match overshadowed by SAFA’s shenanigans that saw Jomo Sono replace Shakes Mashaba as coach for one game. Bafana were a goal down inside the first minute but got a penalty to level it at halftime before Emile Heskey scored the winner for England after a goalkeeping error.
Didier Drogba
The Ivorian actually made his international debut against Bafana, playing for the first time in Abidjan in September 2002 when Bafana got a hard-fought goalless draw. He was also in the side in Polokwane nine months later when the Ivorians played South Africa off the park and still lost to goals from Shaun Bartlett and Siyabonga Nomvethe.
Thierry Henry
FIFA credited the Frenchman with the last goal against South Africa in the 1998 World Cup opener when it was actually a second own-goal for the unfortunate Pierre Issa. He was the star of the 3-0 drubbing the hosts handed South Africa. He played two other matches against Bafana and also against the South Africa Under-20 side at the 1995 World Youth Championship in Malaysia.
Jurgen Klinsmann
Klinsmann was the top attraction when Germany came to Johannesburg in December 1995 in the last warm-up game before Bafana went on to win the 1996 Nations Cup finals. He was marked out of the game by a brilliant Sizwe Motaung, but still managed the best chance of the goalless draw, brilliantly saved by Andre Arendse.
Roger Milla
Milla was just about to turn 40 when he came as part of the Cameroon side that welcomed South Africa to world football in 1992, playing in the three exhibition games across the country. He was combative and competitive and snarled and huffed his way through three matches, drawing big crowds wherever he went.
Romario
Romario played in the Brazil side that beat Bafana Bafana 2-1 in a friendly in December 1997 as they stopped over on their way to the Confederation Cup in Saudi Arabia. Bafana went with them on the last leg of the journey to Riyadh, but not before the diminutive striker scored after just 11 minutes. Bebeto made it 2-0 before halftime before Helman Mkhalele got a late consolation in a game in which the gulf in class between the two sides was all too evident.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Some might regard him as a coiffured show pony, others as one of the greatest ever, but Bafana Bafana only got to see 33 minutes of him in a cameo appearance in March 2009. It was at the Stade Olympique La Pontaise in Lausanne, Switzerland where Bafana lost 2-0 in a friendly that they had organised as part of the 2010 World Cup build-up. The Portugal side was coached by former Bafana boss Carlos Queiroz and also featured Deco and Nani.
George Weah
The Liberian maestro was in the autumn of his career when he lined up against South Africa, player-coach of his country for a Nations Cup qualifier at Soccer City in December 2000 and six months later in Liberia, where he brought himself on in the second half. But four years earlier, he was at the height of his powers when South African fans saw him play for Liberia at the 1996 Nations Cup, although they did not meet Bafana.
Xavi
The Barcelona maestro did not play for Spain against South Africa in the third place play-off game at the 2009 Confederation Cup at the Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace, but featured earlier in the tournament against Bafana when Spain won 2-0, plus at the 2002 World Cup when the Spanish beat SA 3-2 at Daejeon. He was in SA in 2010 to help Spain lift the World Cup.
Zinedine Zidane
The French maestro came on at halftime of a friendly in 1997 in rainy Lens and the first question coach Clive Barker asked when he took the place of Robert Pires was “who’s he?” He soon found out as Zidane created the two goals that saw France fight back from a halftime deficit. Zidane was also in the side that thumped Bafana in the opening game of the 1998 World Cup in Marseille.