Final Goodbye: Nelson Mandela with 10 sporting legends

10) Gary Player

Former South African president, Nelson Mandela in deep discussion with golfing legend, Gary Player, at the Nelson Mandela Invitational at the Arabella Golf Course.

When the legendary South African golfer first met Madiba, he got on his hands and knees and kissed the President’s feet. Remembering his ‘very tearful’ first encounter with Mandela, the nine-time major winner met Mandela at his office in Johannesburg after he had gotten released from his 27 years in prison. The next time the two would meet would be when Mandela supported him in a charity tournament. “He said to me, ‘When I was in jail, I used to watch you playing.’ He was very complimentary,” Player recounts. On his website, Player paid tribute to the former politician, “Nelson Mandela is one of the great heroes in my life and I believe did more for our country than any other person in our history. As a proud South African, I am certain Mandela’s legacy will endure in our nation and across the world as a figure of courage, value, spirit, and above all else, love.”

Other notable sporting persons include: Ryan Giggs, Hansie Cronje, David Beckham, Sachin Tendulkar, Francois Pienaar, Marvin Hagler, Marion Jones, Penny Heyns, Kepler Wessels, Oscar Pistorius, Tana Umaga, Nick Evans, John Smit, George Weah, Mike Tyson, Josia Thugwane, Frankie Fredericks, Shaun Pollock, Greg Norman, Baby Jake, Steven Pienaar, Khotso Mokoena, Mark Boucher, Robinho, Nick Price, Roeland Schoeman, Michael Atherton, Mohammad Azharuddin, Roy Keane, Maria Bak, Roberto Duran, Emmanuel Adebayor, Michael Johnson, Graeme Smith, Asamoah Gyan, Serena Williams, Chris Eubank, Caster Semenya, Neil Tovey, Peter Schmeichel, Devon Malcolm, the 1995 and 1996 England cricket team, the 1993 West Indian cricket team, the 2004 New Zealand rugby team, the 1993 and 2006 Manchester United team, the 1994 Liverpool team, the 1993 Arsenal team, the 2009 Manchester City team, the 2003 England football team and on various occasions the South African cricket, rugby, football and paralympian teams.