Meet football enthusiast Alain Johaar
Johaar pushes himself in football.
This week we profiled twenty-seven-year-old, Alain Johaar better known as Baastos from Eldorado Par. Johaar started playing football at a very young and played for Raising Stars of Africa.
As the young footballer grew, he discovered that he really enjoyed football and became passionate about it. Johaar explained that he is a big supporter of Orlando Pirates and it has always been his dream to play for them.
“At the age of 16-year-old, there was a coach who came along and discovered me within the area, he welcomed me to Eldo’s Sporting, they were at the time playing in the South African Breweries Regional League (SAB league), and that is when I started playing with bigger guys. My growth in football has risen well because I attended numerous trials at professional clubs but due to some restrictions, I didn’t make it further but that was not a setback because I continued to push myself,” said Johaar.
He plays the following positions: striker, right-wing, and left-wing.
[also read] – Local Soccer players excited to return into the field
“I was at Stars of Africa Football Academy; I was in the Northern Cape where I played for Hungry Lions. I came back home and played for Eldorado Park Spurs and we won the league here, we represented the region at play-offs, unfortunately, we lost but things didn’t end there for me. There was a team participating there called La Masia, and after we lost the play-offs, it was heart-sore because we worked hard to be there. La Masia then gave me a call and that was like a break-through for me, it was a step up, different league, different challenges, so I grabbed it with both hands because it was a good opportunity for me,” shared Johaar.
\When asked what his biggest achievement has been in his career, he said it was last year when he played in the SAB league. Johaar managed to score a total of five goals in that tournament.
“I’m currently working really hard, in football, age isn’t always on our side so whatever opportunities come, you must grab it. You have to also look at life after football, you can get an injury today and your career could be over.
“I would like to push myself toward the second and the first division for our country. The second division is known as the GladAfrica Championships and then the Premier League, I am pushing and training under Candle Light Sports Development with coach Gadaffi because it’s in my area. I’m trying to secure a National First Division (NFD) contract or professional first-team PSL contract just to sustain my family and sustain myself after football,” he added.
Johaar concluded the interview by sharing what his biggest dreams are for the community, he said: “my dream is to start an academy based in Eldorado Park for the youngsters growing up here. The academy would contain the academic side, life skills, and football, that will be my way of giving back to the community. Our community is known for its gang-related violence, and drugs, people outside only see our community for that but they do not know the inner part which is filled with growth, talent, and the nurturing that we have here in Eldorado Park.”
Johaar is currently still playing for La Masia which is a big team from Westbury.
Follow Us Here:
Catch the latest news by visiting our other platforms:
