SAZI HADEBE | St Bernard has not only set records, but also the standard at Kaizer Chiefs

Bernard Parker will have a fascinating story to tell when he finally hangs up his boots as a professional football player.

The Kaizer Chiefs veteran has had a career highlighted by success and struggle, especially if one looks at the decade he’s spent at Naturena — a decade which has divided opinion among football fanatics (mainly Chiefs fans). There are those who are still impressed with his commitment and performance for Amakhosi and those who feel he’s overstayed his welcome.

The 35-year-old player, who often wears the club captain’s armband, joined Chiefs as a striker at the beginning of the 2011-12 season. But as his pace has waned in the past five years he’s been used by many coaches at Naturena either as a winger or, as we saw recently with former coach Gavin Hunt, as a central midfielder.

Parker’s commitment to Chiefs can never be questioned and it’s not surprising that there’s been talk that he’ll continue to work at the club in some capacity when he decides to call time on his playing career. ’

Such plans and commitments are rare at a football club, not just at Chiefs, but most professional clubs around the world. You earn that sort of trust through the hard work and ethical conduct you show as player and human being.

They call him ‘Die Hond’. You have consistently given everything to this game for many years. Class is permanent.

—  Al Ahly coach Pitso Mosimane

Sometimes Parker’s talent on the field doesn’t shine as bright as the work he does behind the scenes, where he’s often seen encouraging his teammates to do this or that, while being the first to applaud them when they succeed.

This past weekend was Parker’s turn to get all the plaudits from teammates and club supporters, even those who cursed the day the club’s supremo, Kaizer Motaung, signed him in July 2011.

The player nicknamed “Die Hond” (The Dog) not only produced a man-of-the-match performance but also scored a brace for the Amakhosi on Sunday, helping his team beat SuperSport United 2-1 in a DStv Premiership match, something Parker and his teammates had failed to do in the past five league games against the same opponents.

More importantly, Parker’s brace saw him surpass Siphiwe Tshabalala’s record of 58 goals as Amakhosi’s leading goal scorer in the Premier Soccer League era. Parker is now on 60 goals. 

It’s a record that could take decades to be broken, especially if you consider Chiefs now don’t look any closer to the one Parker joined 10 years ago, in terms of what they achieve on the field these days.

Given the few goals that Parker has managed to score for Chiefs in the past five seasons, there’s no chance he will go on to reach the club’s all-time leading scorers’ record of 85 goals by the legendary Marks Maponyane. 

While Parker was part of the Chiefs team that won two Premiership titles in current coach Stuart Baxter’s first spell in 2012-2013 and 2014-2015, the reason some fans feel he’s got nothing more to offer the club is because he’s been in Chiefs’ squads that have failed to win any silverware since that league title in May 2015.

It’s a little unfair to single out Parker as one of the main reasons Chiefs have had a barren spell in the past six seasons, when you have players such as Itumeleng Khune, who has spent more than a decade at Chiefs but is still one of the most popular figures among the club’s fans, despite the goalkeeper not spending much time on the field in the past few seasons.

Parker’s versatility, which has meant he’s not always been used as a striker in the past three to four campaigns, has seen him scoring just seven goals in his last 121 appearances. The lack of goals from a player who the fans have always known as a striker is one of the reasons he’s faced ridicule and scrutiny.

But those who know the game intimately know Parker’s value to Chiefs. It’s no surprise they wasted no time congratulating him on his achievement on Sunday and among those was former Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane, now head coach of Egyptian giants Al Ahly.

“They call him, Die Hond. You have consistently given everything to this game for many years. Class is permanent. Salute @BernardParker,” said Mosimane, who coached Parker in the Bafana Bafana set-up between 2010 and 2012, on his Twitter account.

Parker’s coach at Chiefs, Baxter, was perhaps more apt than anyone in singing his praises.

“When you’ve worked as long and as hard as Bernard has, it’s easy for people to say you’re over the hill and you’re not up to it. They have been saying that for a long time,” the Briton said. “Hardworking, humble, a good team player and responsible in society, and for that reason and that reason alone, Bernard Parker is worth a place at Kaizer Chiefs.”

I have had the privilege to engage with Parker a few times, and the intelligent remarks you get from him tell you that you’re not dealing with an ordinary football player, but with someone who is already planning his post-playing days.

There’s a lot that the younger, more popular and talented players than Parker can learn from him. His work ethic is second to none, but more importantly it’s not always about him. He’s a team player. He takes his teammates’ achievements as his; hence he’s always the first to appreciate their efforts when they get it right.

It’s just a pity that Parker will retire at a club that’s been mismanaged and dominated by Sundowns in recent seasons. But no one can fault him for always giving his best for the Glamour Boys.