Nothando "Vivo" Vilakazi (born 28 October 1988) is a South African soccer player who plays as a defender for TS Galaxy Queens and the South Africa women's national team.
Early life
Nothando Vilakazi was born in Middelburg, South Africa, on 28 October 1988.[2] She played for a boys team between the ages of 9 and 14, when she started playing with girls.[3] At the age of 17, she started playing in the Sasol League for the Highlanders team.[3] She completed her schooling at TuksSport High School, associated with the University of Pretoria's High Performance Centre, for which she was selected while representing Mpumalanga at a tournament.[4]
Career
Vilakazi played for Palace Super Falcons, having previously played for Moroka Swallows. In footballing circles, she is nicknamed "Vivo".[2]
International
Vilakazi was called up for the first time by the South Africa women's national football team against Ghana in 2007 but did not play.[2] She made her international debut on August 10, 2008 against Netherlands. Vilakazi has been a regular feature of the team as they were managed by Vera Pauw.[5] Vilakazi was part of the team which were runners up in the 2012 African Women's Championship.[2]
As part of the South African team, she has played at both the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom, and the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.[6] She played in all six of South Africa's games at the 2016 tournament.[2] Vilakazi has continued to feature in the squads for the nation following the transition to the management of Desiree Ellis after the Olympics.[7]
References
- ^ "50 caps up for Banyana Banyana's Andile Dlamini". safa.net. 3 March 2020.
- ^ a b c d e "Nothando "Vivo" Vilakazi". Sasol in Sport. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
- ^ a b "Banyana Banyana's Nothando Vilakazi reaches for the stars". SAFA.net. 22 May 2019.
- ^ "Nothando Vilakazi's rocky road to stardom". New Frame. 8 November 2019.
- ^ Ngid, Njabuto (28 July 2016). "She dreamt it, she's living it". IOL. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
- ^ Isaacson, David (5 August 2016). "Banyana Banyana keep hope alive after Games opener loss". Herald Live. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
- ^ "Desire Ellis opens up after first training session as Banyana Banyana head coach". KickOff. 18 October 2016. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
External links
- Nothando Vilakazi at BDFútbol
- Nothando Vilakazi – UEFA competition record
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