Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Date of birth | 19 July 1983 | ||
Place of birth | Otjiwarongo, South-West Africa | ||
Height | 1.69 m (5 ft 7 in) | ||
Playing position | Striker, Winger | ||
Club information | |||
Current team
|
Moroka Swallows | ||
Number | 25 | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2003–2006 | Blue Waters | ||
2006–2007 | Eleven Arrows | ||
2008 | Čukarički Stankom | 23 | (2) |
2009 | Eleven Arrows | ||
2009–2011 | Maritzburg United | 52 | (13) |
2011–2014 | Orlando Pirates | 20 | (1) |
2013–2014 | → Golden Arrows (loan) | 18 | (3) |
2014–2015 | Free State Stars | 8 | (0) |
2015– | Moroka Swallows | 7 | (0) |
National team‡ | |||
2004– | Namibia | 46 | (13) |
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 5 September 2013. ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 17 May 2014 |
Rudolf Bester (born 19 July 1983 in Otjiwarongo) is a Namibian football striker who currently plays in the South African Premier Soccer League for Moroka Swallows.
He previously played for Serbian SuperLiga club FK Čukarički Stankom, having joined the team in January 2008 from Eleven Arrows.
He was a part of the Namibian squad at the 2008 African Cup of Nations. He has a record of 13 goals for Namibia and is currently the highest national top goal scorer, ahead of retired Gerros Uri-khob with 12 and Ruben Van Wyk with 11 goals. Despite coming on for Orlando Pirates as a substitute in various games, Bester once gave Pirates an important victory in the last games of the 2011/12 league season. The win came at a crucial time and contributed to the team's league title. Pirates were held 1–1 by Cosmos and in the dying minutes of the second half, he scored a winning cracker to give the defending champions a 3-point lead on top of the table against relegation bound Jomo Cosmos in the 2011/12 season.
In June 2012 Rudolf Bester missed three important international matches due to Injury. He was expected to play for Namibia's Brave Warriors in the 2014 Brazil World Cup Qualifiers against Nigeria, Kenya and 2013 African Cup of Nations qualifier against Liberia. He recovered from the injury and returned to international duty in a friendly against Rwanda on Saturday, 13 October 2012 in Windhoek. He is one of the few Namibians to play professional football outside Namibia, the first Namibian to win the PSL with Pirates and the first Namibian to play against Tottenham Hotspur of England.