Spending a cumulative seven years at Everton throughout the course of his career, Steven Pienaar endeared himself to the Goodison Park faithful.
The former South Africa international totalled 229 appearances for the Toffees during his stint with the club, scoring 26 goals and assisting another 49, before finishing his career at both Sunderland and Bidvest Wits FC in his home country.
Now 39 years of age, Pienaar spends most of his time as an assistant manager in Ajax Amsterdam’s youth set up, but also helps out at an amateur club called SV Robinhood in the Dutch fourth-tier.
Both playing for and assisting the current manager, Nana Tutu, his former agent, the ex-Everton star turned up one day, catching the team by surprise.
Since then, he’s helped wherever he can over the past two years, even ensuring the players, with some coming from over three hours away, can get home on the train.
When he first arrived, VI explain ‘there were often only five balls and a few bibs there’, which Pienaar and Tutu sought to improve.
It’s said that ‘together they bought twenty new balls, bibs and posts for the team at the time’, and the ex-footballer even gave away boots until his stock was exhausted.
They then write: ‘It can also happen that some guys train in Everton shirts and tracksuits. ‘Nice, isn’t it?’ says the former professional football player. “Some people don’t think Everton is a very big club, they prefer to walk in stuff from a top club like Chelsea. I’ll also give a history lesson about Everton”.’
A feel good story that has gone under the radar for a while now, it’s good to see footballers give back, especially if they can also instruct a bit of Goodison Park knowledge along the way.
