Steven Pienaar is one of the host nation's brightest chances of success at the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa. The tenacious attacking midfielder, who is currently illuminating the Premier League in an Everton shirt, hopes the competition can bring positives for his country off the pitch as well as on it.
Its a big leap from watching the FIFA World Cup to taking part as one of the stars of your national team. How did that transition start?
I started off just like any other kid in South Africa, playing in the streets, and eventually someone saw me playing and asked me what I thought about joining a soccer school. At first I said ‘no’ because I just wanted to stay where I was, but the guy went and spoke to my mother. I didnt know, and when the time came to go to high school my mum came to me and said: ‘Youre not going to that school, youre going to a different school’. That’s how it started!
Your life has changed drastically because of football. What do you hope the FIFA World Cup will bring to South Africa?
I think what the World Cup will bring to South Africa is a lot of changes to the infrastructure of the country, a lot of job opportunities for people. I hope it will make it a better place, a safer place also for tourists, because its a beautiful country and theres lots to do for people from outside South Africa.
Which venue are you most looking forward to playing at?
Well, Bloemfontein will be great, because the fans are great. Theyre probably the best supporters in South Africa. The vuvuzelas will be noisy and hopefully confuse the French team! However, out of all of the stadiums used for this World Cup, Id have to say Soccer City.
The first game of the tournament is always a big event. How are you preparing for that and how important is it to win?
We will go into the game with experience of the FIFA Confederations Cup. I think the players want to win, we know its not going to be easy but thats our goal, which then makes it easier for the next two games. Ill say the mental strength of the players must be top notch – thats a key for us to go through to the next stage. FIFA.com
Post published in: Football