Matthew Booth (soccer)

Matthew Paul Booth (born 14 March 1977) is a former South African professional footballer who played as a defender. Booth spent the majority of his career in his home country, but also played in Russia for six years and briefly played in England for three months. Booth is remembered as a fan favourite among South African fans, who chanted "Booooooth" when he touched the ball, while British media outlets dubbed him as "The White Knight",[2][3] as he was the only white player in the South African national team.[4]

Matthew Booth
Personal information
Full name Matthew Paul Booth[1]
Date of birth (1977-03-14) 14 March 1977
Place of birth Fish Hoek, South Africa
Height 1.99 m (6 ft 6 in)
Position(s) Centre back
Youth career
1982–1994 Fish Hoek AFC
1994–1996 Cape Town Spurs
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1994–1998 Cape Town Spurs 92 (5)
1998–2002 Mamelodi Sundowns 114 (6)
2001 → Wimbledon (loan) 0 (0)
2002–2004 Rostov 51 (1)
2004–2009 Krylia Sovetov 107 (7)
2009–2011 Mamelodi Sundowns 38 (0)
2011–2013 Ajax Cape Town 40 (5)
2013–2014 Bidvest Wits 19 (1)
Total 448 (24)
National team
1995–1997 South Africa U20 18 (0)
1998–2000 South Africa U23 35 (2)
1999–2010 South Africa 37 (1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Early life and youth career

Booth was born in Fish Hoek to Paul and Anthea Booth. His father Paul was an engineer at the Cape Town city council, a semi-professional footballer and administrator for Fish Hoek AFC, while his mother Anthea was a legal secretary. Booth started playing football for Fish Hoek AFC in 1982 at the age of five.[3] In 1993, he played in the Bayhill U19 tournament for Fish Hoek, where he was spotted by Cape Town Spurs coach Richard Gomes, who saw a lanky youngster flying into tackles halfheartedly and towering above the opposition's attackers and invited him to train with the club's youth.[5] In 1994, shortly after he turned 17, he trained with the senior squad, which went on to win the league and the BobSave Super Bowl.[6] At the time, he worked at a sports shop in Woodstock and would travel by train to Parow after work to train with the team at CR Vasco da Gama fields at the time, then travelled back to Fish Hoek after training.[5]

Career

Club

Booth started playing professionally in 1996, alongside experienced players like Shaun Bartlett and Craig Rosslee. Cape Town Spurs and Seven Stars were merged in 1999 to form Ajax Cape Town. He was deemed surplus to requirements at Ajax and wanted to sell him to newly formed Mother City. He fought back, and eventually joined Mamelodi Sundowns, staying for three seasons.

In 2001, Booth moved to England as he was loaned out to First Division side Wimbledon, but he never made an appearance for the first team, and was only used in reserve team matches.[7] He was later quoted as saying that his stint at Wimbledon was "not a happy time because the club was in turmoil over the move to Milton Keynes".[8] In 2002, he moved to Russia to represent both Rostov and later Krylia Sovetov, playing with and against players such as Branislav Ivanović, Vágner Love and Jan Koller.[5]

Booth retired from professional football on 19 June 2014, even though he was given an option to renew his playing contract.[9]

International

Booth made his debut for South Africa on 20 February 1999, against Botswana at the Cosafa Castle Cup. He made thirty-seven appearances for the national side, scoring one goal. Booth missed out on the 2002 FIFA World Cup due to a knee injury,[10] but was a member of the 2010 FIFA World Cup team (that qualified as hosts of the competition), despite remaining an unused substitute for all three group stage matches. He also captained the under-23 side at the 2000 Summer Olympics.[11]

Due to his height, Booth is considered one of the most important players when meeting opponents with tall players.

Personal life

Booth is married to Sonia Bonneventia, a businesswoman and former model. The couple have two children together.[8]

In 2014, Booth saved a woman from being beaten on Cape Town's nightclub strip on Long Street early on a Saturday morning. Booth had been playing for Wits in an Absa Premiership game against Ajax Cape Town, which they lost 1–0, hosted at Cape Town Stadium on the previous Friday night. After using an ATM and walking back to his friends, he saw a man assaulting the woman and rushed to her assistance. The attacker shoved Booth, who toppled onto a store's window ledge which had spikes to prevent people sitting on the ledge. Members of the Central City Improvement District took the attacker away. Booth returned to his hotel where the team doctor attended to his injuries.[12]

Booth owns junior coaching clinics at multiple public schools. He has also done some television work for the South African Broadcasting Corporation as an analyst and some writing for The Sowetan. Booth has also registered to do a BA degree through the University of South Africa.[5]

Career statistics

Club
As of match played 22 November 2008[13]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Rostov 2002 Russian Premier League 8040--120
2003 28140--321
2004 15000--150
Total 51180----591
Krylia Sovetov 2004 Russian Premier League 8140--121
2005 1812020-221
2006 28340--323
2007 28200--282
2008 25010--260
Total 107711020--1207
Career total 158819020--1798

International
South Africa national team
YearAppsGoals
199930
200010
200161
200240
200300
200400
200510
200600
200700
200830
200980
201020
Total281

Statistics accurate as of match played 31 May 2010[14]

International goals
#DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
114 July 2001Durban, South Africa Malawi1–02–02002 WCQ

Honours

Club
Cape Town Spurs
Mamelodi Sundowns

Individual

References
  1. "FIFA World Cup South Africa 2010: List of Players" (PDF). FIFA. 4 June 2010. p. 28. Retrieved 16 April 2014.
  2. Marcotti, Gabriele. "Matthew Booth a white knight for the black masses". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  3. White, Duncan. "World Cup 2010: Matthew Booth the perfect advertisement for integrated South Africa". The Telegraph. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  4. "Matthew Booth". Sports Pundit. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  5. Reiners, Rodney. "Booth signs off". IOL. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  6. "As a youngster Matthew Booth..." Drumbeat. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  7. Booth, Matthew (31 March 2020). "Neither really as it was a 3mth trial/loan which was a lesson for me as it was an agreement between 2 club owners...coach didnt know anything about it. Big mistake". Twitter.
    Booth, Matthew (31 March 2020). "No, only reserve team games..." Twitter.
  8. Austin, Simon (6 August 2009). "South Africa's white knight". BBC Sport. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  9. Crann, Joe. "Booth Calls Time on His Career". Soccer Laduma!. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  10. "Booth out of World Cup". BBC Sport. 21 May 2002. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  11. "South Africa hit by withdrawals". BBC Sport. 27 April 2001. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  12. Kinnear, Janis. "Ex-Bafana star rescues woman from beating". IOL. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  13. Matthew Booth at Russian Premier League
  14. "Matthew Booth". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmerman. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
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