With Father’s Day being just two weeks away, ex-footballer Steven Pienaar has shown how much fatherhood means to him by recently penning a heartfelt reflection to his daughters on their birthday.
While the former Bafana Bafana and Everton midfielder was previously best known for his ability to beat opposition defenders to win his teams the game, it appears that he is applying those same principles to his personal life, only this time it is to win his children’s hearts.
In a lengthy post, the proud father reflected on 14 years of fatherhood on his eldest daughter Aaliyah’s birthday.
“Fourteen years today, wow. Where did the time go?
“All the beautiful memories we made together, from you making us have sleepless nights in the beginning, to now helping on my computer ha-ha. I love you so much my angel, hope you have many more blessings because you are such a loving, caring child and big sister, lots of love @a.pbaddie Happy Birthday Aaliyah.
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His post contained a gallery of pictures that showed many of the memories they have made together over the past 14 years.
News and entertainment publication The South African reported that Steven and his wife Awa Abduleau have been together for more than a decade and share five children. These are his daughters Aaliyah, Lu’Lu, Kamilla, and twins Naila and Shaila.
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Steven was a critical part of the Bafana team in the early 2000s and competed in the World Cup in both 2002 and 2010 when the tournament was hosted on African soil for the first time.
In 2012, he announced he would officially retire from international football. Since his professional career has come to an end, sports publication Sports Brief reported that Steven relocated to the United Arab Emirates where he coaches the youth structures of Sharjah FC.
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