South Africa, and the world of football at large, has bid farewell to an undisputed icon of the game. Lucas ‘Masterpieces’ Moripe, who sadly passed away last week, was one of those rare virtuosos who compelled people to fall in love with the beautiful game, shining a bright beam of light into their lives.

Back in those days, entertainment was a priority because the people would get through a week of hard, often demeaning, work with dreams of watching football on the weekend and come Saturday, it was up to the players to give them something to enjoy. Lucas excited and mesmerised opponents and supporters alike with his unique brilliance and in no small way, inspired thousands of people to make it through another week of toil before being “refuelled’ with energy when they saw him play again – an approach not dissimilar from our own motivation in the early days of Kaizer Chiefs.

During his time with Pretoria Calles and our great rivals, Orlando Pirates, we contested numerous memorable battles over the years, and Masterpieces was always the player we identified as our greatest threat. He could change the course of a match on his own, and did so frequently.

The accolades he accumulated along the way, such as Footballer-of-the-Year and South African Sportsman-of-the-Year, reflect for posterity that this was a man of exceptional ability, not the least of which is the fact that the erstwhile Atteridgeville’s Super stadium has, since 2010, been officially become the Lucas ‘Masterpieces’ Moripe stadium.

This nation has lost one of its greatest sons, whose lifetime spanned one of the most important phases of our history. The positive impact he had on so many lives not only inspired many subsequent football stars, but he gave the people the energy to keep going in the quest for better days ahead, which were ultimately achieved.

For his contribution to domestic football, and the development of South Africa as a whole, he will always be cherished and appreciated.

May his soul rest in eternal peace.