SA now has a ‘legend’ in Magaia

Banyana Banyana all-time top scorer Portia Modise reckons Hildah Magaia is now a cult hero of SA football the same way Bafana Bafana legends such as Doctor Khumalo, the late Philemon Masinga and Benni McCarthy are.

Nicknamed “Breadwinner” because of always carrying Banyana on her shoulders in big games, Magaia once again stepped up to the plate when it mattered the most, scoring the second goal, before assisting Thembi Kgatlana to score the winner to help Banyana reach their first ever World Cup knockout stages. They beat Italy 3-2 in their last Group G tie in Wellington yesterday. An own goal by Benedetta Orsi opened SA’s account.

Even Bafana have never reached the last 16 of the World Cup in three attempts (1998,2002 and 2010), meaning Banyana’s feat is the first by any national football side. It’s only Banyana’s second World Cup after crashing out at the first hurdle at the last edition in France in 2019.

It was Magaia’s second strike at this World Cup, having scored when SA lost 2-1 to Sweden in their Group G opener almost two weeks ago. The 28-year-old Magaia, who plies her trade for Sejong Sportstoto in South Korea, was a heroine again when Banyana won the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, scoring a brace as they defeated the hosts Morocco 2-1 in the final last year. 

“The girl [Magaia] has done so much. She’s now a legend, no one can dispute that. She’s scored many crucial moments and history will always remember her. What she’s doing now is the same thing that made the likes of Masinga, Khumalo and McCarthy the legends they are even today. As a legend myself, I welcome Hildah to the legends table,” Modise said yesterday.

Magaia, who hails from Dennilton in the Sekhukhune region of Limpopo, was emotional after inspiring Banyana to this historic feat, saying she never saw playing at the World Cup coming, before quipping about her Breadwinner nickname.

“I never, ever imagined myself playing at the World Cup, so it’s an emotional one for me. The coach and my teammates told me that they need bread, so as the breadwinner I needed to provide the bread for them... without the breadwinner, there’s no bread, that’s why I kept on going on the field even though it was hard,” Magaia said.