BBK UNPLUGGED | Go well, ‘Grootman’ of the nation

Jayden Adams was part of a new golden generation of South African footballers who carried the promise of taking the local game to even greater heights.

At 25, Adams had already amassed impressive accolades, the main one being the Confederation of African Football Champions League title with Mamelodi Sundowns.

The Betway Premiership and Carling Knockout medals were part of his collection.

The dimming of one of the games brightest lights sent shock waves in the sporting community. The outpouring of love and overwhelming global reaction speaks volumes about the difficulty of facing the reality that Adams will never again be seen in the colours of his club and country.

Adams was honoured when moments of silence were observed at the Fifa World Cup quarterfinal games between Norway and England, as well as Argentina and Switzerland.

Weeks earlier, the unassuming midfield workhorse had graced the global stage in one of the biggest mornings of South African football.

At Estadio Monterrey, Thapelo Maseko’s 63^rd minute goal secured the country a win over South Korea, making Adams part of the Bafana squad that carved a piece of history by becoming the first to progress to the knockout stages of the competition.

Months earlier, he was a member of the Sundowns squad that managed to pitch their tent at the summit of African football by clinching victory, ending a 10-year pursuit of a crown the South African side had not won since their first in 2016.

The first time I met him he was a 15-year-old training with our first team, and he would walk to training after school

—  Steve Barker, coach

Adams’s skills were honed at Stellenbosch FC academy. His dedication to his craft was rewarded when he became the first standout graduate to ascend to the first team, where he was polished by coach Steve Barker.

Before earning that promotion, he helped the reserve side of the Winelands outfit win the Diski Development Challenge during the 2021-22 season. “The first time I met him he was a 15-year-old training with our first team, and he would walk to training after school. He was a small little kid, and I was always worried that he may just not develop into the young strong man that he became. But his technical ability, even at that age, was just amazing,” said Barker at Adams’s memorial service this week.

“At Stellenbosch, I sometimes felt like he would play in second or third gear, but he was still our best player. He went on to excel at Sundowns, even though I felt he had another gear, and he had the ability to join any club and raise his level to any standard that was required.”

Adams not only became the pride of his parents Juanito and Candice but a hero to the whole Cloetesville and Ida’s Valley communities of the Winelands, which is bedevilled by socio economic challenges like any other impoverished area across the country.

Family spokesperson Brendine Johnson described his close friend as a giving person. “He never wanted people to know what he has done for others, and he always wanted to create hope for the next generation with his football. I remember him as a giver. He loves to help other people. He loves to get involved with off-the-field things. So that’s Jayden Adams [for you].”

In a recent interview on TV show Expresso, his parents spoke heartily about their son’s journey from the beginning of his career, and the family’s pride in seeing one of their own shining on the international stage.

It is against this background that the devastating death of Adams, whose lifeless body was discovered in a flat in Bo-Kaap last Saturday, has dealt a brutal blow to the Bafana cause.

From [a] small age, he used to kick anything that’s round. Whether it’s an onion, whether it’s a potato... and we saw that talent from [when he was] very small

—  Monica, aunt

The world football fraternity has wrapped the family of the fallen South African star in an embrace of solidarity as the country is still trying to come to terms with the tragedy of the Bafana international who boasted 13 and from whom much more was still expected.

Adams loved and lived football. “From [a] small age, he used to kick anything that’s round. Whether it’s an onion, whether it’s a potato... and we saw that talent from [when he was] very small,” said his aunt Monica.

“But what I also remember [is] that Jayden used to love cake. Ja, my grandma would just buy cake for him, and he would just absorb that cake. Jayden was [also] a very naughty child as well, like any other child. But we are thankful for that, for him.”

Adams’s death follows soon after the passing of his grandmother Marrianna, who departed on the eve of the crucial match against Czechia, where coach Hugo Broos’s team was able to get a point that kept their hopes alive.

His teammate and friend Ronwen Williams, who captains Sundowns and Bafana, could have been speaking for all of us who loved Adams when he said: “We will miss your quality, your passes, your vision and your brotherhood. We will never forget you. We will carry you in our hearts, carry you on our sleeves, carry you on this badge and forever you will remain part of us. Jayden, fly high with the angels. We will continue keeping your legacy alive.”

Admas recently earned a moniker when, in an interview, he said he was now “a grootman” (big brother) when asked about his new “chiskop” (clean-shaven) hairstyle.

Farewell, “Grootman of the Nation”.