| Player Profile | |
|---|---|
| Name | Teboho Aaron Moekena |
| Nationality | South African |
| Date of Birth | 25 November 1980 |
| Latest Club | Bidvest Wits |
| Latest Position | Defensive Midfielder |
History of Aaron Mokoena
Aaron Moekena is a former professional footballer from South Africa. He was born on 25 September 1980 in Boipatong, a small suburb in Gauteng, South Africa. He moved to Bayer Leverkusen, Germany, where he played in their youth team before moving to Ajax.
Aaron Mokoena In South Africa
Moekena made history in South Africa when he became the youngest player to start for the Bafana Bafana at 18 years of age in 1999, playing in the 2000 Summer Olympics qualifiers. He continued playing in the Olympics in 2000, but the team was kicked out at the group stage.
He was also called up in the 2002 African Cup on Nations, the 2004 version, and in 2008, he captained the Bafana Bafana in Ghana. This was followed by the 2009 Confederations Cup and 2010 World Cup, both held in South Africa. The team was knocked out in the group stages as they beat France, drew with Mexico but fell at the hand of Uruguay, which won the group stages.
Even though the team didn’t have a successful outing in either competition, he continued to captain the team in other competitions and friendlies. He earned his 100 caps for the team in a 5-0 win over Guatemala on 3 May 2010. He went on to earn 107 caps in 12 years of playing for the Bafana Bafana. Moekena retired from international football in 2012.
Moekena was one of the best soccer players in South Africa of his generaton.
Aaron Mokoena International Career
Ajax
After playing for Bayer Leverkusen and Ajax at the Youth level, Mokena moved to the Ajax senior team. But he didn’t last there as he stayed for one season and was sent on loan to the Belgian pro side Germinal Beerschoot in 2001.
Germinal Beerschoot (Loan)
At Germinal Beerschoot, he found playing time, featuring 41 times for the Belgian side over 2 seasons, because he went back on loan after the first season. However, he managed to score just 2 goals for the club.
KRC Genk
After 2 years at Germinal Beerschoot, he made a permanent move to the Belgian club KRC Genk. Here, he spent another 2 years, making 32 appearances and scoring 1 goal for the club. Finally, without so much playing time, he opted to leave the club to a place where he could find regular playing time.
Blackburn Rovers
Moekena transferred to Premier League side Blackburn Rovers in the winter transfer window. His move was finalised on 4 January 2004, and by 8 January, he made his debut.
He came on as a substitute and impressed the Blackburn manager Mark Hughes so much that he became regular in the starting lineup. He played as a holding midfielder in a 4-5-1 formation. This put him in a position to break up the attack from the opposing team.
He went back to being on the bench when the manager reverted to a 4-4-2 formation. This was for most of the beginning of the 2006/2007 season. But in 2007, he became a regular again and scored his first goal for the club in a victory over Manchester City in the FA Cup.
He continued to get playing time as he appeared for the club 101 times for 3 and half seasons at the club. He scored 2 goals in total for the club. He left the club at the end of the 2008/2009 season.
Portsmouth
Moekena left Blackburn Rovers and joined Portsmouth on 24 May 2009. He signed for a 3-year deal lasting until 2012. In Portsmouth, over the course of 2 seasons, he found regular playing time, featuring over 77 times for the club and scoring 3 goals in the process.
The move to Portsmouth helped him prepare for the 2010 FIFA World Cup that took place in South Africa. He played all the games and was the captain in the opening group game against Mexico.
But after 2010, his playing time was reduced, and by 2012, he was already looking for another club. It happened that in the same season, Portsmouth was relegated from the second division to third-tier league Football League One and Moekena was one of the players identified to leave to reduce the wage load on the club.
At the end of the 2012 season, Moekena agreed and signed a contract termination with the club.
Bidvest Wits
Moekena moved to the Bidvest Wits, a South African side, on 11 July 2012. He just stayed for 1 season before retiring from football.
He currently is a coach to the Cape Town City Football Club.
| Aaron Mokoena Teams | |
|---|---|
| Team | Period |
| Ajax | 1999 – 2003 |
| Germinal Beerschoot (Loan) | 2001 – 2002 |
| KRC Genk | 2003 – 2005 |
| Blackburn Rovers | 2005 – 2009 |
| Portsmouth | 2009 – 2012 |
| Bidvest Wits | 2012 – 2013 |
Frequently Asked Questions about Aaron Mokoena
Aaron Moekena is famous for his hard tackles, which earned him the nickname, ‘The Axe’. He also became popular when he became the youngest player to represent the South African national team at 18 years old. He was also a captain of the Bafana Bafana in the 2008 AFCON, the 2009 Confederations Cup and the 2010 FIFA World Cup held in South Africa.
Aaron Moekena currently is the assistant coach for Cape Town City Football Club.
Aaron played for many teams in his career that spanned over 14 years. He played for Ajax, Germinal Beerschot, KRC Genk, Blackburn Rovers, Portsmouth and Bidvest Wits. He also played for the Bafana Bafana, the South African national team.
Aaron Moekena’s net worth is undisclosed.
Aaron Moekena was born on 25 November 1980, so he is 41 years old.
Aaron Moekena was born in Boipatong. It is a small town in the Gauteng Area of South Africa.
Teboho Moekena is the same person as Aaron Moekena. Teboho is his other name.
