| Intro | Association footballer | ||||||
| Was |
Athlete Football player Association football player |
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| From | South Africa | ||||||
| Type | Sports | ||||||
| Gender | male | ||||||
| Birth |
28 September 1983, Kimberley, South Africa |
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| Death |
7 April 2015, Bethlehem, South Africa |
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| Star sign | Libra | ||||||
| Stats |
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| Sports Teams |
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Richard Henyekane (28 September 1983 – 7 April 2015) was a South African professional footballer who also represented the national team.
Early and personal life
Henyekane hails from Kimberley’s Galeshewe township; his younger brother Joseph who died in December 2014 was also a professional footballer.
Career
Henyekane made his professional debut for Premier United-Hellenic against Jomo Cosmos on 8 February 2004. He joined Golden Arrows in the 2004/05 season, with his first goal coming in Arrows’ 1–1 draw against Manning Rangers on 19 January 2005. Henyekane, who played as a striker or attacking right wing position, had his career best season with Golden Arrows in the PSL. The striker bagged three hat-tricks during the 2009–2010 PSL season ending with 19 league goals, as well as a further Telkom Knockout hat-trick, finishing with 23 goals for the season. The striker was then snapped up by Mamelodi Sundowns on a lucrative three-year contract as a free agent. On 4 March 2012, his team set a record in the Nedbank Cup when they beat Powerlines FC by 24–0, with Henyekane scoring five of the goals. He joined Free State Stars on loan from Sundowns in the January Transfer Window of 2014, with the move made permanent in July 2014. During this time, he made 18 league appearances and scored seven goals in the process. Henyekane had made 17 appearances in the 2014–2015 season; his last match was as a substitute appearance against AmaZulu at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on 4 April 2015, and his last goal came in Stars’ 1–1 draw with Orlando Pirates at Charles Mopeli stadium on 6 May 2014.
International career
Henyekane was first called up for international duty in 2009 but was left out of the Joel Santana squad for the 2009 Fifa Confederations Cup. He later made his international debut in a 3–1 loss against Serbia on 12 August 2009. Henyekane made nine official appearances for the South Africa national team.
He died in a car accident on Tuesday 7 April 2015.