them and thus began the first of six highly successful years with the Kicks. He was acquired by Toronto Blizzard in December 1981, when the Kicks were about to fold, and became a key figure in the Blizzard's rise to become one of the top NASL teams. He played for Minnesota in Soccer Bowl 76 and for Toronto in Soccer Bowl 83 and the Soccer Bowl Series of 1984. Nominally a midfielder, he constantly pushed forward into attacking positions and often scored more goals than strikers. In 1986, he returned to play with Toronto Blizzard in the National Soccer League. Ntsoelengoe represented South Africa in 1977 versus Rhodesia. Managing career In 1985, he tried to start up his own team like Kaizer Motaung had. He called it Ace's Mates. It only ran for one year, but he was the manager. In 1997, he was manager of the South Africa U23 team. Style of play Former Argentinean manager Oscar Martinez remarked that the midfielder was "almost a perfect footballer. He can dribble, he can shoot, he can attack, and he can defend. He is good in the air, good on the ground and good everywhere you can think of." when the South African Invitational XI hammered an Argentina XI 5–1. Former South African national coach Clive Barker insisted the Chiefs legend was as gifted as Zinedine Zidane. Death "Ace" died of a heart attack on 8 May 2006 in Lenasia, just south of Johannesburg. At the time of his death he was a youth coach at Kaizer Chiefs. In tributes he was hailed as one of the best players ever produced by South Africa. One of his former coaches at Chiefs, Eddie Lewis, is quoted as saying that if he had been born 20 years later, Ace would have enjoyed the same status as Ronaldinho. This is a view shared by former Bafana Bafana coach Clive Baker, "If Ace was here now, he'd be spoken of in the same breath as Fernando Torres, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi." In 2008, he was posthumously awarded the Order of Ikhamanga. North American Soccer League Statistics References External links Ace Ntsoelengoe stats 1952 births 2006 deaths People from Randfontein South African Tswana people South African soccer players South African expatriate soccer players South Africa international soccer players Association football midfielders North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players Miami Toros players Minnesota Kicks players Toronto Blizzard