Clubs played for
Finland, or Scandanavia in general, has strong leagues. The experience in Finland was fantastic. Coming from South Africa, I lacked academy coaching. I think I was 19/20 when I went there to play for Tervarit. Then I went to MYPA and then Inter Turku and I had some good years of good coaching. I played in the UEFA Cup two years in a row and I ended up having a lot of interest from other clubs in Holland, Belgium, France and Switzerland. It drew a lot of attention, which was fantastic. Fulham called me when I was 22/23. They were keen on signing me, but I could not get a work permit, so I ended up going to Turkey to play for Delizlispor. I was playing in the Premier League there and played against big clubs such as Fenerbahçe, Besiktas and Galatasaray. It was a bit more competitive and that was incredible. I ended up blowing my knee in Turkey. I did my rehab in South Africa and I was not meant to play again, but I came back two years later. I went back to Scandanavia (to play for KPV and Inter Turku in Finland) and then I went to Cyprus (to play for Enosis Neon Paralimni FC). I was there for a season and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
How the deal was done
I was at Wits University and Jomo Sono asked if he could borrow me and he borrowed a few other youngsters from clubs to take with him for an under-20 tournament in Italy. It was one of the biggest youth tournaments in the world. I went there and I played incredibly well and I had a team from Brazil that was keen on me, Tervarit in Finland who were keen on me and a team in Austria that was quite keen on me. When I got back to South Africa, Jomo had bought me from Wits. As a got off the plane, I was a Jomo Cosmos player. I was there for a month or two while they were negotiating and seeing which deal was the best for me. I ended up going to Finland, instead of Brazil or Austria. Glyn (Binkin) was my agent at that stage and he felt it was a much better grooming ground.
The rands and cents
I went to Finland I was getting 30 grand (R30 000) a month. In Europe, especially in the smaller leagues, they give you a car which is paid for, you get petrol allowances and bonuses. So, the money you get there is just spending or saving money. From there, my money started growing. You end up moving from 30 grand to 60,70 or 80 grand. In Turkey, at 22 or 23, it was about R150 000 to R200 000 a month, plus bonuses. For a home win, it was 10 grand. For an away win, it was 20 grand. That was weekly. Cyprus was also the same, you can earn 100 to 200 grand, depending on which team you play for. You can make a long-term life. If I didn't have a son when I came back to South Africa, I would have gone back to Finland. Before retiring, I had an opportunity to go back as a player/coach in one of the lower leagues. I would have stayed there and I would probably still be there today. I came back to South Africa to try to get into the 2010 World Cup squad, on my agent's advice. But that was incredibly difficult. It ended up being a move that was best for me because I was told that I was too European and I play too direct. My football was far more suited to international standard. I created a strong name for myself in Scandanavia.
My first day in Europe
It was at Tervarit. I rocked up there and it was the middle of summer. Players speak English, but they are quite shy to speak, so it takes time for them to open up to you. But it was even worse at my first experience at MYPA. I got there in the middle of winter and it was minus 20 degrees. It was snowing and there was one traffic light in town. It was a very small town. It takes a lot of mental strength to go to Europe, which is why a lot of players struggle to stay there, depending on where they come from.
My debut
It was for Tervarit and we played against a young Finnish team. Back then, I played for them as a left full back. I wasn't a full back, I was a winger, but they liked my speed. I played as a full back for three months and then I got bought by MYPA to play as a left winger. It was amazing.
Best player I played with
There are quite a few. When I was 17, I went to Man United. My first day there was with the first team and they had guys like Ole Gunnar Solskjær and Brian McClair. The best player at that stage was probably Ole Gunnar Solskjær. He had a lot of talent. He was a different level. I was there for two months and it was a lovely experience.
Best player I played against
There was a Brazilian midfielder called Alex. He was playing for Fenerbahçe. He played with his left foot. He always just seemed like he had so much composure on the ball. He scored two goals against us and we ended up losing 2-0. He was fantastic.
Big difference between SA and European football
In Europe, players are always thinking three or four moves ahead. When they get the ball, there are always three or four options. In South Africa, you lucky to have one or two and normally when the ball gets to your foot, then the players will move. Generally, you can't play a blind through ball, because players respond when the ball comes to your foot, especially when I was playing. It might be a little different now, but the biggest thing I noticed when I came to South Africa was that options weren't really available.
Choose One: Play abroad or for one of the big three in South Africa
Knowing what I know, I'd play abroad. I always wanted to play for Chiefs, Pirates or Sundowns and there was a chance for me to go to one of those teams before I went to Swallows. I just can't remember which one because my agent was talking to them. The reason I say I'd play in Europe is not because I don't love South African football. The politics in team selection in South Africa weigh more of an effect on players than in Europe. In Europe, you do the job and the coaches don't get told by management who to pick, where in South Africa a lot of the owners get involved with coaching.
Did you ever buy your own Bafana Bafana ticket?
No, not me. Whenever I played, they generally flew me business class. I always looked after. There were one or two occasions where you wait until the last minute, but generally I was looked after and it was professional. It was nice.
Any current PSL players good enough to play in Europe
I am not going to put any names to it. There is one or two. Obviously, at Sundowns... Their squad is next level. People say they win because of money, but they have built a squad that plays quality football. Rulani has them playing good football and they have top quality coaches there. There is a wealth of knowledge. I am not going to put names, but there are one or two boys who could go to Europe if they wanted to. But again, they are earning big playing for Sundowns. There is pressure, but there's more pressure in Europe where you are playing far away from home and you've got no support.
