The first black South African footballer to play in Europe, was told whenever he scored it would be in the cause of independence. Jonathan Wilson tells of a legend's ups and downs. When Steve Mokone arrived at Coventry City in 1955, he was probably the most eagerly awaited signing in their history. Fans queued simply to get a look at their new star, but their interest had less to do with his reputation as an explosive and skilful player than with the fact he was black, and was thus the first black South African to play in any of Europe's professional leagues.

When the Dutch journalist Tom Egbers first decided to find out what happened to his father’s footballing hero, he could never have imagined where it would lead. Almost 40 years had passed since the South African striker Steve ‘Kalamazoo’ Mokone spent two seasons playing for Egbers’ hometown club Heracles Almelo in Holland’s third division. But in 1993 no one had heard from him since.

“My father always used to tell me about this wonderful player who joined the club in the 1950s who was a black man – something that was unheard of in our part of the country,” he remembers.