SuperSport United midfielder Jesse Donn spoke to Fan Park about when he realised football was the career for him and plenty more!
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What's the story?
Matsatsantsa star Jesse Donn chatted to us about his football roots, who he regards as the GOAT of the game and how he deals with social media as a professional footballer.
Having come of age at SuperSport, Donn started off at Ubuntu football Academy in Cape Town with former teammate and close friend Luke Fleurs, whom he regards as the most stylish player he's played with.
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Let's take a closer look at Donn had to say...
Getting to know Jesse Donn | Part 1
The down-to-earth 24-year-old was in the middle of finalising his wedding preparations when he spoke to us for this feature.
Donn married his soulmate Kelsey over the weekend in Midrand, with his Ubuntu Football Academy present to support him on what was a special celebration at his church.
The baller is not only fighting for minutes in Gavin Hunt's stacked SuperSport United squad, he's also completing his final year studies, looking ahead to his life after professional football.
Donn revealed that he started playing football at the age of 5, and says he's been passionate about the game from a very young age.
"I played a lot of sports in Primary School and only really committed to making football my career of choice in High School. I could've chosen to go to a more prestigious High School, where I probably wouldn't have played football as much, but I chose to go to a school close by to the academy I played for, which is Ubuntu Football Academy," says the midfielder.
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Born in 1999, it's safe to say that Jesse, like many football fans around his age group, would've witnessed Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo at the peak of their powers.
The GOAT (Greatest of all time) debate between the two modern football greats has been a tireless one and with Messi spectacularly leading his country to their third FIFA World Cup in Qatar last year, the debate has leaned more towards Messi's favour.
Donn prefers the Argentine magician as his GOAT over CR7, but admires the latter's work ethic:
"For me the GOAT footballer has to be Messi, at least in my generation, I can't speak for the generation before me. In terms of being able to with the ball that nobody else can, Messi is by far the best player I've ever witnessed.
"I really respect Ronaldo, I'm someone who believes in hard work, I really respect how hard Ronaldo has worked but unfortunately, on any given day, the things that Messi can do, Ronaldo just can't," says Jesse.
It's still relatively early days in Donn's career and he's experienced a few highs, one of them being a call-up to the national team in 2021 and has maintain his place in SuperSport United's first team since 2020.
He went on to reveal the best advice he's been given so far in his professional career:
"I think the best advice anyone has given me football wise I think, probably; 'you never know who's watching', the reason I say that is because, I think that mentality helps you develop. The hard work, discipline, the motivation to wake up every day and be ready to be your best because you never know what's going to happen.
"Especially in football, in any sport I guess, you go through ebbs and flows, ups and downs, but as long as you are making sure that you're working as hard as you can and you're ready each day, to give your best and no matter when your chance comes you'll be ready.
In terms of style, the Under Armour athlete keeps it as casual as he possibly can and doesn't seem to be too concerned about catching eyes with his what he wears.
"I'm lucky enough to be endorsed by Under Armour so I do wear a lot of their clothes to training. You'll never really catch me dripping or trying to dress up for training, it's not really my vibe.
"I'm staple jeans and nice shirt kinda guy, I like plain tees. I really like simple clothes and nothing too fancy," says the modest star.
He shouted out Kaizer Chiefs' Luke Fleurs for his style, one of his close mates: "He doesn't always dress to impress but when he does, he does it well."
Social media plays a huge role in the lives of modern day footballers. Not only does it give them a chance to connect with fans, teammates and market themselves to brand and endorsement deals, it also opens them up to plenty of scrutiny.
"Honestly, I don't pay too much attention to social media, obviously I keep up to date, I'm not living under a rock but I don't really aspire look like anybody else and I'm not saying it from a cliché perspective, I'm just not the most active on social media.
Donn does understand the importance of players having a social media presence, he admits he doesn't have much of a passion for it:
"I think having a social media platform is super important for players, I'm honestly on the fence about it, not because I don't think it's a great thing, unfortunately it's not something I'm not super passionate about.
"I find myself going through these seasons of like 'okay, I'm going to start posting and invest in social media' and then I don't really get the urge to do it. So, I don't want to be a hypocrite and say it's important and then not do it, but I do think in terms of building your brand, in the modern world we live in, it's really important that you're being seen on the daily," he says.
Donn appreciates that social media is a way for ballers to build their brands and to make themselves some extra money through brand endorsements.
He also tends to avoid trolls by simply not reading what they have to say when the messages pop up on his phone and avoiding comment sections.
Donn also feels that it helps him that he devotes his life to Christ and doesn't seek much validation from fans online, mentioning that some players can get addicted to online validation.
"I try to stay off social media as much as I can, even outside of football I don't think it's healthy for your lifestyle," says the level-headed baller.
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