Posted in Features, News on Jun 06, 2017.
- Bernard got the nickname ‘Die Hond’, while playing in the streets of his home town, Reiger Park. The other youngsters would say, “You are the Top Dog”. From there on, when Parker arrived for a match, his Afrikaans speaking friends would say, “Hier kom Die Hond".
- The striker started playing in Reiger Park in the youth structures of an amateur side, Sun United. He was 9-years-old at the time.
- Bernard loves fashion. However, unlike what many people may think, it is not his wife, Wendy, who selects on trend outfits. It’s the other way around, he not only buys clothes for himself, but he regularly shops for his wife as well. “I just have a natural flair for style,” he explains his love to dress nicely, with a big smile on his face. Bogart Man is his favourite clothing brand.
- Parker is a romantic at heart. He loves roses, especially red roses. Once a week, he buys roses for the house. And, on Valentine’s Day, he takes care that the whole houses is full with roses. “It’s a way of giving and showing your love,” Bernard explains.
- The craziest thing Bernard ever did was catching the trains, without a ticket, from Boksburg and Daveyton stations to get to his training session with Benoni United. “I had zero money for transport,” Parker reflects at a time when he didn’t earn a salary yet.
- Benni McCarthy was Bernard’s favourite player as he grew up. The striker did well for South Africa at the 1998 Africa Cup of Nations and, “everybody wanted to play like Benni,” Parker remembers.
- Chiefs’ former striker, the late Herman ‘Pelé’ Blaschke, who passed away early last year, lived in Reiger Park in the same street as Parker. The two became good friends. Blaschke used to advise Bernard on his kicking technique. “Every time you take a shot, tighten your bum. That way you get more power in the shot.”
- Bernard played for Dutch side FC Twente from 2009 until 2011. The club is based in Enschede. People love riding a bike in Holland and the striker quickly adapted. “I always rode a bike to the city centre,” he reflects.
- During his time in Enschede, Bernard visited the former South African soccer star, Darius Dhlomo, who lived nearby. Dhlomo played with Steve ‘Kalamazoo’ Mokone for the Dutch side Heracles in the late fifties. Parker visited Dhlomo in an old age home. He sadly passed away in 2015.
- Bernard was an accomplished swimmer in his younger days, representing Eastern Gauteng in the 50-metre breaststroke. He would forever be found in the swimming pool of Reiger Park. He still follows swimming with a passion when there is a world championship or Olympic Games, especially giving close attention to his heroes, Cameron van der Burgh and Chad le Clos.
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