Posted in Features, News on Jun 14, 2017.
- Keagan’s father, Grant Buchanan, was a talented midfielder, who was on the brink of joining Cape Town Spurs, before deciding to join the Navy, serving as a submariner. It was during the apartheid days and there wasn’t so much money in soccer at the time.
- Keagan grew up in the Athlone district Kew Town, which is close to the Athlone Stadium. “We can even see the stadium from our house,” Buchanan says.
- Living so close to the Athlone Stadium meant that Keagan regularly watched soccer games, mostly with his father, especially to see his favourite player, Thabo Mooki. “Thabo is the reason I became a Kaizer Chiefs supporter,” he reflects. He also enjoyed watching Stanton ‘Stiga’ Fredericks
- At the age of seven, Keagan’s mother Domesia took him to Vasco da Gama. Those were the days when one could just go to the training ground of a youth development and have a coach look at a young talent. Buchanan was accepted after which he scored a brace in his first game. “I was still a striker at the time,” he comments.
- However, he only stayed at Vasco for three months, as his skilful play quickly caught the eye of the youth scouts of Ajax Cape Town that was just established in 1999. Soon he was transformed from a striker to a winger to, eventually, a number 10 in the Ajax system, playing behind the striker. Daylon Claasen and Thulani Serero were two of his fellow midfielders.
- Buchanan nearly played professional cricket instead of soccer. He was a very talented all-rounder, who represented Western Province. He decided, however, to focus solely on football from the age of 13. His favourite cricketers were Jacques Kallis and the Indian, Sachin Tendulkar.
- These days, however, he loves following the American basketball league NBA. His favourite team is Cleveland Cavaliers of star player, LeBron James. He also eagerly follows Russell Westbrook. “I love the rivalry between players and their teams,” Buchanan explains. “I always try to see a game via Dstv Catch Up.”
- He loves shopping and has a big interest in fashion. That’s also why he regularly designs his own clothing and often asks a tailor to make something according to his instructions.
- Buchanan got his first tattoo when he was in Grade 10. It was a star with thereunder the letter WJB, the initials of his grandfather who passed away at the time. “He played such a big role in my life,” Keagan says, “he brought me to school, to training, watched training and took me back home afterwards. My parents were both working. His death was a huge shock.”
- When Keagan enters the soccer pitch before a game, he does two things – he kisses his grandfather’s tattoo on his left arm, before kissing his right hand which has a tattoo with the word ‘blessed’ and a cross next to it.
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