Blue Waters winger Hendrik “Ballack” Somaeb is our FNB Player of the Month after receiving the most votes from our panel of judges.
Somaeb received four votes, while Black Africa defender Da Costa Angula received two votes, and Civics midfielder Steven Gariseb and Mighty Gunners midfielder Corenzo Beukes one vote each.
“Eish! I’m very happy,” Somaeb said after hearing the news that he had won the award.
“I’ve been working very hard on my game, so I’m happy to be rewarded and I want to thank FNB for sponsoring this competition,” he said.
As our monthly winner Somaeb will receive a unit trust from FNB Namibia to an amount of N$500.
The 19-year-old Somaeb has been in outstanding form for Blue Waters this season, which has seen him breaking into the senior Brave Warriors squad for the first time.
Playing as an attacking right winger he has been at the heart of Blue Waters’ attacks while he is also their leading goalscorer with four goals to date. He has played a major role in their great second round form which has seen the coastal side winning four matches, drawing two and losing only one of their last seven matches.
On March 17 Somaeb scored the winning goal against African Stars with a great freekick which he curled around the wall, and on March 31 he scored with a header against United Stars in Blue Waters’ 2-1 victory.
They started the second round in ninth position, but have since moved up to sixth position on the log and are now only five points behind second placed Civics.
Somaeb said the spirit amongst the players was great and they were aiming to finish the season on a high note.
“We struggled to score in the first round, but we have been working very hard and are now starting to get the results. Our aim is to finish in the top four at least,” he said.
Nicknamed Ballack
Somaeb was born and raised in Kuisebmond where he played soccer from a young age. During his primary school years with Narraville Primary School he picked up the nickname “Ballack” after the famous German player Michael Ballack, and it has stuck ever since.
“I used to play soccer in the streets and the dunes with my friends and I always liked to wear the number 13 jersey so my friends started calling me Ballack, because he also wore the number 13. It has stuck ever since,” he said.
He went to De Duine Senior Secondary School where he excelled as a soccer player and in 2009 at the age of 16 he was signed up for Blue Waters. He made a great debut, scoring the winning goal in a 2-1 victory against Orlando Pirates and has since then become an integral part of the coastal side.
National call up
Somaeb’s fine form for Blue Waters has not gone unnoticed and last year he was called up to the national Under 20 and Under 23 teams for the first time. The Under 23 team went on an unbeaten tour of Ghana and then shocked South Africa U23 with a 1-0 victory in Windhoek in a friendly match.
“It was a great experience to beat South Africa. When we heard that we are playing South Africa we were very motivated for the match and the team spirit was great,” he said.
In December last year Somaeb also represented Namibia at the Cosafa U20 Championships in Botswana, where he scored a goal in their 1-1 draw against Zimbabwe.
Shortly after that tournament Somaeb was selected for the Brave Warriors for the first time and made his senior international debut in a 0-0 draw against Angola.
“That was a great experience. The pace was much higher than what Im used to but I enjoyed it a lot,” he said.
Since then he has remained in the Brave Warriors squad and in February this year won his second cap against Mozambique. Somaeb came on as a second half substitute and immediately made an impact with his swift attacks down the right wing, to help Namibia win the match 3-0.
Somaeb is now determined to become a regular starter for the Brave Warriors.
“At the moment I’m still mostly on the bench, but I’m determined to break into the team. if I get a chance I will grab it and prove myself to the coach,” he said.
Hendrik Somaeb Factfile
Date of Birth 29 September 1992
Place of Birth Walvis Bay, Namibia
Education De Duine Senior Secondary School
Favourite team Arsenal
Favourite player Lionel Messi
African player Didier Drogba
Namibian player Rudolf Bester
Favourite food Pap en vleis
Favourite drink Fanta Grape
Favourite music House
Nickname Ballack
Most memorable moment Scoring for Blue Waters on my debut against Orlando Pirates
Ambition To play professional soccer
Bernadine Mbilizi wins a hamper
Hendrik Somaeb’s team mate at Blue Waters Bernadine Mbilizi wins a gift hamper with the compliments of FNB Namibia after he correctly voted for Somaeb as the FNB Player of the Month.
“That’s great news,” he said.
“I am happy for Ballack because he has been working hard and deserves the prize,” he added.
“He always gives 100 per cent, whether its at training or at games. This you can see in our matches where he has scored some important goals for us,” he said.
Mbilizi said Somaeb could take it far as a soccer player.
“He is very professional and takes his work seriously. He reads the game well and can go far,” he said.
Mbilizi, who has played for Ramblers, Eleven Arrows and SKW before, said he was now happy at Blue Waters and hoped to help the team finish the season on a high note.
“Our aim is to finish amongst the top three, or maybe even second. We have a great squad of players and next season we will aim for the title,” he said.