Addis Ababa – The body of Mengistu Worku, Ethiopia’s greatest footballer of all time and one of Africa’s football legends was laid to rest here today at Lebu St. Gabriel Church in the Merkanissa District of Addis Ababa.
The 70-year-old Mengistu played his entire club football career for St. George Football Club (16 years) and represented Ethiopia 115 times (1959-1974) in international matches and scored a record 68 goals.
Mengistu helped St.George win the Ethiopian Championship 3 years in a row(1966, 67 & 68), at a time where the Ethiopian Super 8 Championship, was considered one of the best leagues in Africa.
At the national level, Mengistu scored the 4th Ethiopian team’s goal in the 4-2 victory over Egypt during the 1962 African Cup in Addis Ababa. He took part in 6 African Cup (2nd to 7th) competitions, where he scored 10 goals, making him one of the best goal scorers in the history of the competition.
Following retirement, Mengistu turned to coaching. He coached St. George, EEPCO, Ethiopian Airlines, Banks, Wonji Sugar and Insurance at club level and also served the Ethiopian national team both as Assistant and Head Coach positions.
Mengistu was actually the last coach (Ethiopian or foreign) to help an Ethiopian team qualify to the African Nations Cup in Libya in 1982.
Mengistu’s coaching career was not limited to Ethiopia as he served as CAF Instructor, visiting and conducting coaching courses in numerous African countries.
May the good God rest your soul in peace. We are forever indebted to you and the entire Ethiopian national team members of the 3rd African Cup of Nations.
Today, not only the St. George as well as others are, in today’s technology and even with money coming from the so called Alamoudi, our soccer teams have been lost cause even thanks to Weyane dividing along ethnic groups. What a shame. One would expect when you have money as Alamoudi claims, you would be strong, because you eat strong and train. This shows how money is not everything but leadership and discipiline is important which money corrupts leadership and discipline. Shame on Weyane and Alamoudi for turnng the country into Banana Republic. We had pride at least.
Many thanks to Ethio-sport for honoring Mengistu Worku and bringing to spot light the remarkable foot ball career of our legendary player. No one else has ever spanned and kept walking his entire life in the lone and rugged road of Ethiopian foot ball. He has endured the test of time in a country where foot ball is one of the poorly run institutions of the country with meager government support, subject to political bulldozing, senseless amateurism and rife with mal-administration, corruption and lack of vision. He chose a profession where once destiny could well turn out to being a forgotten poor or a “once was” beggar on the road. He has endured the wrath of the most ungrateful fans who booed and chanted “Mengistu Leba” (I was a witness to that sad event, 1995EC and international game against Rayon of Rwanda), in the same old pitch of Addis Ababa stadium where he accomplished memorable history and earned his country a place in the map of African foot ball at the call of time. Put me there in his place and faced with ungrateful booing and chanting of “Leba” , i would have walked out of Ethiopian foot ball forever with a lot of grudge and sense of betrayal. But Mengistu,a person that he is, never, never said any thing in public, never publicly displayed self-serving emotion, never quitted and walked out of Ethiopian foot ball. It takes gut, patience, and character to be what the honorable Mengistu was. Some say when it comes to challenging administration, Mengistu is a quitter and not a fighter as he is on the pitch. I heard this from his former colleagues still running premier league clubs in Ethiopia but having huge admiration and compassion for him. May be Mengistu is wiser not to entangle himself in a fight that he would not win. There are many many stories of Mengistu that need to be told and passed on to the next generation. Mengistu serves as a good example of not just a star player, but also of a brave coach, a man with character and patience that withstood the test of time. May his sour rest in peace and condolences to his family and close friends.
መንጌ የኳሱ ዶክተር: ደጉ:ሩሕሩሁ: ሀገር ወገን ወዳዱ አንተን ክፉ አይንካብን ስንል: በኳሱ ሜዳ ነኩብን: ረገጡብን; ገፉብን እያልን እርር ድብን እንዳላልን:: ጨካኙ ሞት ጠልፎ ወሰደህ? ቸሩ መድኅኔ ዓለም ነፍስህን በጻድቃን ሰማዕታቱ ጋር ያኑርልን::
ለቤተሰቡ: ወዳጆቹና አድናቂዎቹ ሁሉ ፈጣሪ መጽናናትን ይስጥልን!
It is very sad for all Ethiopians specially for our generation to loose such wonderful hero of Ethiopia but million times thank u for Sheik Mohamed Al Amoudi for his genourisity for pro longing mengistus life god bless u sheik
EthioSports – Ethiopia's Football Legend Mengistu Worku laid to rest…
Here at World Spinner we are debating the same thing……
i wish ethiopia go at least to the 1962 world cup.
It is sad,last year we lost the GREATEST artist Tilahun Gessesse now another LEGEND Mengistu Worku.!!!
Mengistu and Tilahun like Abebe Bikila will always be icons and heroes of Ethiopia
One who has the insight will ask the following. What is the contribution of the EPRDF regime on the health bill for Mengistu? After all he is our greatest player of all time, holds the record of international appearance (115) as well as goals (68) that exceeds all players by far absorbing serious injuries in the process. This is without mentioning his contribution as a superb coach, his electrifying persona like Tilahun that has influenced zillions of Ethiopians, and shaped the upcoming generation players and coaches. ,
Does EPRDF who manages Ethiopian tax payers’ money and international loans and funs have a responsibility? Or is it the Sheikh whose motive is an obvious combination of generosity and influence (hopefully he and his surrogates will stay away from Ethiopian politics in the name of sports in the future as they have already done so much damage so far). . EPRDF did not use Ethiopian tax payers’ money to support their hero in time of his need. They did not provide the needed fund at the time. Now they will certainly do, they call it politics. They will name/build road/monument for him and Tilahun. But were they there when Mengistu was health and alive or did they damped him creating reason. We have already noted EPRDF officials profiting in the politics of his death (listen VOA, eTV), .
Do you hear the above concerns come form the majority of the blinded Diasporas? No my Dear, No and No… Only few have the insight, principal and conviction
The, majority of our Diaspora is blinded from his leading role and influence (20 billion worth annual capital, 3 billion Ethio remittance) by promised lands and vacation times filled with nights of dancing with the wolves in the half moon light of Addis. There already many offending labels referring to the current generation Diaspora group that I do not personally endorse as there are better ways to educate. The terms include Zemene Hodams, Zemene Maferia, Zemene Geleba, Zemene Agonbash. I indicated them noting that sometimes calling a spade a spade will awaken…
Ethiopia Agere, Ethiopia Agere, Yemotelish Kerto Yegedelesh Bela
Mengistu Worku is Hero and died as a hero. He performed to the highest for large period always being loyal to his nation and being proud of his heritage and. He had the spine and what it took with a magnetic image and personality. Like they say, a brave only dies once. I am sad bout missing him but not that he died as His Spirit will Always Prevail.
Always separate his true fans, friends and associates from the pretenders