In his early days as a Mamelodi Sundowns player, Clayton Daniels has revealed how a meeting with Patrice Motsepe forced him into changing his Toyota Tazz to get a new car.
Soccer Laduma spoke to the veteran defender:
The years
I left Ajax Cape Town at the end of the 2010/11 season, so I joined Sundowns in 2011/12. I was there for about two-and-a-half years. I was excited to go play for a club like Sundowns. I had just come from Europe where I had trials with Ajax Amsterdam. I already knew then that Sundowns were interested in me. So, when I came back, I already knew that I was going to sign for Sundowns because they had already told me while I was in Europe that they (Ajax Cape Town) did a deal with Sundowns. I wanted to stay in Europe because there was another team in Europe that wanted me. That team was Vitesse, which Thulani Serero played for, but Ajax Cape Town wanted money on the spot. Vitesse had just received new owners and they were busy rebuilding, so there was not a lot of money.
How the move happened
I know my agent at the time, Rob Moore, told me about the move. He told me that we should go agree personal terms with Sundowns because the deal had already been agreed between the two clubs. I was very excited because I was going to the best of the best in the country. There was some big names playing for Sundowns. I remember Surprise Moriri and Hlompho (Kekana) were there. There was Teko Modise as well, so I was excited to meet them and play there. When I joined Sundowns, I wanted to get closer to the national team. I was doing well at Ajax, but I never got a chance to play for Bafana. So, I thought joining Sundowns would get me closer to the national team because it had always been a dream of mine to represent my country.
My first day at Sundowns
The moment I drove into the big gate (at Chloorkop), the security guards made sure that they looked after me. There was a guy, I think it's Freddy, he asked me if I had a drivers license. I said 'no, I don't have one'. Then he said 'don't worry, I am going to sort you out'. He sorted me with a drivers license. I was around 26 at the time, but I didn't have a drivers license. I didn't have a car while I was playing at Ajax. I was earning a little money, so I could not afford to buy a car. So, I was sorted out with a drivers license and then, from there, I was legal on the road. I could drive, but I just didn't have a license. There is another story I want to share. I drove a (Toyota) Tazz. We had a meeting with Patrice Motsepe and Surprise and I were driving our Tazz's. Then Mr Motsepe asked 'who Tazz vehicles are those in the parking lot?' Surprise and I put up our hands and he said 'I don't pay you guys to drive Tazz's'. He said 'I don't want to see those cars in my parking lot'. So the next day, Surprise and I left our cars at home. Surprise already had another car, so he came with it. I had to go buy a car because I could not park my Tazz there. I was put under pressure at the time to go buy a car.
My debut
I can't really remember my debut, but the fans really loved me. They called me 'Metro Police'. I was wondering who is 'Metro Police'. When I walked down the corridor, they would say 'Metro Police'. I was like 'is that me?' and they said 'yes'. The fans were special. Even when they see me now, they greet me and remember those days. I enjoyed my time there. Unfortunately, we could never win the league.
The best player I played with at Sundowns
It must be Surprise Moriri. At the time, Themba Zwane was a baby and he came on in certain games, but you could see his quality. But at the time, the best player I played with was Surprise Moriri. He was out of this world.
Most memorable moment
It's probably when I scored against Chiefs. I remember (Itumeleng) Khune was in goals and he was still hot property at the time. A cross came in and I hit the ball against the pole. It hit his back and then it went in the goal. I was very happy in that moment.
Lowest moment
There was a time when I was really in a bad space at Sundowns. They told me to go train at the C field with the junior guys. At Sundowns, when you were not in the plans, they made you go train at the C field. That was a bad time. I went to go train there with Michael Manzini. I did not enjoy that because I know my qualities. I know I am a good player and I did not deserve to go train on the C field. But you learn from it and move on.
Why I left
I wanted more game time. I was in the prime of my career. I wanted more game time and I wanted to play for Bafana Bafana. That's why I left Sundowns and joined Bloemfontein Celtic. For me, it was never about money.
