Former Orlando Pirates winger Mark Mayambela has revealed the one player he had a feeling was better than him, as he looks back on his three years with the Buccaneers and the desire he had to play for Kaizer Chiefs.
Soccer Laduma spoke to the former dribbling wizard about his time at Pirates, where he got to play with Teko Modise, the only player he felt could maybe have been better than him.
The years
I was at Pirates from 2010 to 2013. Overall, it was good. There were a lot of highs and a lot of lows. It's a time where I encountered the most lows and it's a time where I encountered the most highs in terms of winning trophies and in terms of players I played with and in terms of exposure and brand growth. Overall, it was good. It's probably a time I needed as a human being, so it was good. I would have loved for the lows to be minimal and the highs to be more, but it wasn't to be.
How the move happened
I was with Bloemfontein Celtic at the time and I had offers from Chiefs and Sundowns. I remember I almost signed for Pirates in 2009 in December. I flew down to Joburg to sign, but there are certain details of the contract that I wanted to be changed, so I ended up not signing. I went back to Celtic. Then in 2010, while we were in pre-season camp, I got a call from my agent Tim Sukazi at the time and he told me that we were having a meeting with the chairman (Irvin Khoza). We met, had an agreement and then I signed. I think signing for Pirates was more of a mixed feeling because I didn't want to leave Bloem at the time. I was having the time of my life and I was loved. I felt that I needed to stay more. Also, I had a wish of playing for Chiefs, but things did not go according to how I planned or how I wished. So, I had mixed feelings. I knew Pirates was a big team. They had good players, a good coach and they had signed new players, so there was some transition happening in the squad with players coming in and going. So, I said let me give it a go. Also, the excitement from the Pirates supporters made me excited about the journey.
My first day at Pirates
We were training at Wits, at one of the campuses that has grounds that Pirates used to use. My first day was good and Ruud Krol was there. He was a bit hard on me that day and I don't know why. But I understood. I was okay with that.
My debut
The first game I played was in the Telkom Charity Cup against AmaZulu at FNB Stadium. I came on as a substitute. I can't remember my first official game, but I know for a fact that my first game was in the Telkom Charity Cup. We won that game and lost to Chiefs in the final. I started the final and then I came off. It felt good to wear the jersey and I remember how excited the supporters were when I was warming. It was full capacity. I remember getting onto the field and the crowd went crazy. They were excited to see me play. I was pleased with the reception from the supporters and my connection with them grew.
The best player I played with at Pirates
Teko Modise. His character as a footballer and as a human being was great. With all the players I played, he was the only one where I had a sense that he might be better than me. He is the only player who gave me that feeling throughout my career. He was a top player and a top human being as well.
Tough conversations with the coach
Ruud Krol was someone who would talk to me about the game. We had moments where we fought because there were things I didn't like and there were things he didn't like. But he never took thing personally. He always tried to find solutions. He was a true professional. He understood our egos and he understood the game. I was not starting games. I was coming on as a substitute, so he had to make me understand because sometimes I did not understand. Sometimes I gave him bad attitude, but he would call me and speak to me like a proper coach. We had those kind of conversations, but they were not difficult. It's the kind of conversations a coach is supposed to have with his players.
Most memorable moment
When we played against Golden Arrows in the last game of the (2010/11) season and we won the league. Isaac Chansa scored and we won 2-1.
Lowest moment
I think not playing as much as I wanted to.
Why I left
I left because I did not see a future with the club and I don't think I was treated fairly, in terms of game and in terms of the reasons why I did not play.
