Nothando Vilakazi
Birth date28 October 1988 (age 38)
Birth placeMiddelburg, South Africa
Height160 cm
PositionDefender
CurrentclubTS Galaxy Queens
Clubnumber11
Clubs 1Moroka Swallows
Clubs 2Palace Super Falcons
Years 32019
Clubs 3Gintra Universitetas
Caps 33
Goals 33
Years 42020–2021
Clubs 4Logroño
Caps 46
Goals 40
Years 52021–2023
Clubs 5TUT Matsatsantsa Ladies
Years 62023–
Clubs 6TS Galaxy Queens
Caps 61
Goals 60
Nationalyears 12007–
Nationalteam 1South Africa
Nationalcaps 1133[1]
Nationalgoals 17
Pcupdate27 June 2021

Nothando "Vivo" Vilakazi (born 28 October 1988) is a South African soccer player who plays as a defender for TS Galaxy Queens and the South Africa women's national team.

Early life

Nothando Vilakazi was born in Middelburg, South Africa, on 28 October 1988.[2] She played for a boys team between the ages of 9 and 14, when she started playing with girls.[3] At the age of 17, she started playing in the Sasol League for the Highlanders team.[3] She completed her schooling at TuksSport High School, associated with the University of Pretoria's High Performance Centre, for which she was selected while representing Mpumalanga at a tournament.[4]

Career

Vilakazi played for Palace Super Falcons, having previously played for Moroka Swallows. In footballing circles, she is nicknamed "Vivo".[2]

International career

Vilakazi was called up for the first time by the South Africa women's national football team against Ghana in 2007 but did not play.[2] She made her international debut on August 10, 2008 against Netherlands. Vilakazi has been a regular feature of the team as they were managed by Vera Pauw.[5] Vilakazi was part of the team which were runners up in the 2012 African Women's Championship.[2]

As part of the South African team, she has played at both the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom, and the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.[6] She played in all six of South Africa's games at the 2016 tournament.[2] Vilakazi has continued to feature in the squads for the nation following the transition to the management of Desiree Ellis after the Olympics.[7]

No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.6 July 2011Gwanzura, Harare, ZimbabweMWI1–15–12011 COSAFA Women's Championship

References

  1. ^ "50 caps up for Banyana Banyana's Andile Dlamini". safa.net. 3 March 2020.
  2. ^ "Nothando "Vivo" Vilakazi". Sasol in Sport. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
  3. ^ "Banyana Banyana's Nothando Vilakazi reaches for the stars". SAFA.net. 22 May 2019.
  4. ^ "Nothando Vilakazi's rocky road to stardom". New Frame. 8 November 2019.
  5. ^ Ngid, Njabuto (28 July 2016). "She dreamt it, she's living it". IOL. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
  6. ^ Isaacson, David (5 August 2016). "Banyana Banyana keep hope alive after Games opener loss". Herald Live. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
  7. ^ "Desire Ellis opens up after first training session as Banyana Banyana head coach". KickOff. 18 October 2016. Retrieved 18 November 2016.