Never compete or compare yourself with others – ex-goalie Vries

Former Brave Warriors goalkeeper Virgil Vries holds the distinction of being only the third player from post-independence Namibia to have played for South African football giants Kaizer Chiefs.

Mohammed ‘Slice’ Ouseb and Robert ‘Baggio’ Nauseb, both former Brave Warriors, are the other two players who turned out for the Soweto giants.

Born and raised at Keetmanshoop, Vries says rising to the heights he has reached requires hard work and patience.

“Everything I have achieved in football did not come cheap. I had to work very hard and put in extra hours to become one of the best goalkeepers in the Namibian Premiership. My hard work paid off when I was selected for the under-17, -20 and -23 national teams,” he notes.

“Firstly, I didn’t compete or compare myself with anyone but I embarked on my own journey. Playing in the premier league and representing my country at all age levels was the goal I set myself as a young player. I also managed to go play for Kaizer Chiefs in South Africa.”

Vries adds that all his achievements also come from discipline and consistency.

“With consistency, I mean showing up at every training session no matter how you feel. It doesn’t matter if you are not playing regularly, you have to support your teammates, especially the person that plays in the same position as you,” he says.

Vries, who first started playing as a midfielder until Grade 6 at St Matthias Primary School at Keetmanshoop, only became a goalkeeper by chance after he agreed to stand in for the regular goalie who was not available on that day.

The former goalie says he must have impressed the school coach because he was appointed permanent goalie of the team.

The Caf C license holder says unlike other modern-day goalkeepers who shout at their teammates, he was the complete opposite.

“I know that my fellow goalies like shouting and giving instructions to their teammates, especially to the defenders, but I was never loud. I preferred to do most of my talking with my actions. For me it was more hand gestures then to shout at my teammates and confuse them,” he says.

“The role of a goalkeeper is a very specialised one and it usually takes a longer time for a goalkeeper to develop than the outfield player,” Vries explains.

Vries first played with Keetmanshoop outfit Fedics FC in the premier league. He was then approached by Eleven Arrows to join them after the former was relegated.

However, there was a slight twist in his move to Arrows, as he first trained with Orlando Pirates in Windhoek before making the trek to the coast. He explains that Pirates had star goalie Athiel ‘AB’ Mbaha at the time and he wanted to play and not sit on the bench.

Vries won the Leo NFA Cup with Arrows in 2011 before he moved to Premier Soccer League (PSL) outfit Golden Arrows in South Africa, where he spent a decade playing football.

“One of my biggest moments in South Africa was when I helped Moroka Swallows win promotion back to the PSL after a season in the National First Division. On a personal note, I also capped a dream season as the goalkeeper with the most clean sheets,” he says.

“My biggest career moment was when I signed for Chiefs. They are a very big team, one of the biggest on the continent. They are loved by everybody in South Africa and, although I was an understudy to South Africa’s finest Itumelang Khune, it was my dream move.”

He explains that his move to Chiefs set up South Africa’s number one against Namibia’s number one.

Vries says his chopping from the final squad that played in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) tournament in Egypt was the saddest moment of what he describes as a fulfilling football career.

“I am proud to have been in the Namibian team that won the country’s first Cosafa Cup under coach Ricardo Mannetti in South Africa in 2015. Apart from winning the tournament, I was also named goalkeeper of the tournament afterwards,” he says.

“I was the Brave Warriors first choice goalkeeper during the Afcon and World Cup qualifiers and it pains me that I was never able to participate at the tournaments of either competitions. Not being able to play at the Afcon is my biggest sporting regret.”

He says his career in the South African premiership came to an end after he got injured in a match against Senegal during a World Cup qualifier. He was unable to play football for about six months and decided to join National Football League outfit La Masia FC.

The single father of two, who ended his playing career at La Masia in 2023, also had spells with Maritzburg United and Baroka Chiefs in the PSL.

Since his retirement, the former Arrows star did not turn his back on the game and is now in football development.

“I just can’t turn my back on the sport that has given me so much and I thought it wise to get involved with the youngsters as my way of giving back what I have gained from football. I am head of goalkeeper development at Randburg FC,” he says.

“Randburg are a small team playing in the Gauteng Development League. I am overseeing the development of young goalkeepers from the under-7 to the under-19 age groups. I am basically teaching them the aspect of goalkeeping and the understanding of the position.”

Vries is also the head of goalkeepers at Esca School Wanderers, which is a private school that combines elite football training with academics. He says he enjoys his job but not the complains from parents about why their children are playing in goals and not upfield.

The former Swallows goalie, who says he is happy with what he has achieved from his football career, adds that he fulfilled his dream of playing for all the junior national teams and winning the Cosafa Cup with the senior team.

“I am particularly happy that I have played a pivotal role in the Brave Warriors. Firstly, for qualifying them for the Afcon. Secondly, for winning the Cosafa Cup. The fact that I was named goalkeeper of the tournament is clear testimony of my invaluable contribution,” he says.

“I am grateful and respectfully happy with what I have achieved. Winning a league on foreign soil with Swallows is no mean feat and not every footballer gets the opportunity to play for a big club like Amakhosi, who have has a massive fanbase, one of the biggest in Africa.”

Vries, mentions his late grandmother, who he also describes as his pillar of strength, as the person with the biggest influence on his football career, adding that she had installed unbelievable faith in him.

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