Posted in News on Jun 27, 2018.
“Itumeleng Khune is my hero,” says Kaizer Chiefs’ newly signed goalkeeper Virgil Vries about his new teammate. “I have always been following his career. He’s my role model. It’s a great opportunity to work with him. We will work hard and push each other for the better of the club.”
Vries was born and bred in Keetmanshoop, a city in the south of Namibia. He joined the youth side of the locally based Luton FC at the age of 15, moving three years later to Fedics United that played in the Namibian Premier League at the time.
Later on, the goalkeeper moved to Eleven Arrows, before joining Golden Arrows, his first club in South Africa. Vries was scouted by former Chiefs coach Ernst Middendorp, who recognised the keeper’s talent while on a scouting mission in Namibia.
But the move to Durban didn’t work out as expected and Vries was soon loaned out to Carara Kicks. He then moved to Namibia’s Orlando Pirates for a season. In the end, it was former Mamelodi Sundowns and Namibian international keeper Ronnie Kanalelo, at that stage a goalkeeper coach at Maritzburg United, who brought him back to South Africa.
Vries played at Maritzburg until 2017 when he moved to Baroka FC, keeping goal, for example, for his side’s two league fixtures against Kaizer Chiefs last season. The 29-year-old is excited to join the club he has been following from a young age. “It’s like a dream come true,” he enthuses.
Before his hero Khune, Vries closely followed the career of another Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper, Rowen Fernandez. “Rowen was the first to kick the ball out with a half volley. But Itu really mastered it.” Then, the Namibian takes a short breath, before adding, with a smile on his face, “I am great at doing that half volley as well, I am breathing down Itu’s neck.”
It’s Vries’ aim to leave a legacy at Kaizer Chiefs. “I want to be part of a squad that will bring back the glory days, because one day in the future, I want to sit in a chair and reflect, ‘That’s what we achieved.’ I want to be remembered being part of a great Amakhosi squad.”
The goalkeeper also has a message for the Chiefs supporters, “We will work hard and put a smile on your face. We know that the three years of trophy drought was not easy. Please come out in your numbers to support us. We will make you happy, it’s going to be a good season.”
Vries was born and bred in Keetmanshoop, a city in the south of Namibia. He joined the youth side of the locally based Luton FC at the age of 15, moving three years later to Fedics United that played in the Namibian Premier League at the time.
Later on, the goalkeeper moved to Eleven Arrows, before joining Golden Arrows, his first club in South Africa. Vries was scouted by former Chiefs coach Ernst Middendorp, who recognised the keeper’s talent while on a scouting mission in Namibia.
But the move to Durban didn’t work out as expected and Vries was soon loaned out to Carara Kicks. He then moved to Namibia’s Orlando Pirates for a season. In the end, it was former Mamelodi Sundowns and Namibian international keeper Ronnie Kanalelo, at that stage a goalkeeper coach at Maritzburg United, who brought him back to South Africa.
Vries played at Maritzburg until 2017 when he moved to Baroka FC, keeping goal, for example, for his side’s two league fixtures against Kaizer Chiefs last season. The 29-year-old is excited to join the club he has been following from a young age. “It’s like a dream come true,” he enthuses.
Before his hero Khune, Vries closely followed the career of another Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper, Rowen Fernandez. “Rowen was the first to kick the ball out with a half volley. But Itu really mastered it.” Then, the Namibian takes a short breath, before adding, with a smile on his face, “I am great at doing that half volley as well, I am breathing down Itu’s neck.”
It’s Vries’ aim to leave a legacy at Kaizer Chiefs. “I want to be part of a squad that will bring back the glory days, because one day in the future, I want to sit in a chair and reflect, ‘That’s what we achieved.’ I want to be remembered being part of a great Amakhosi squad.”
The goalkeeper also has a message for the Chiefs supporters, “We will work hard and put a smile on your face. We know that the three years of trophy drought was not easy. Please come out in your numbers to support us. We will make you happy, it’s going to be a good season.”
