In this edition of Story Behind The Nickname, KickOff catches up with Cape Town City star Thabo Nodada on his nickname Mkhuthuzi.
The 28-year-old from Ixopo in KwaZulu Natal reveals how he has never been that much a fan of nicknames.
Who and where did he play?
"Nodada is a development product of the Mpumalanga Black Aces Academy,
"He has won both the MTN8 and the Telkom KnockOut with Cape Town City."
What is your nickname?
"Mkhuthuzi"
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Who gave it to you and why?
"I used to give opposition teams a tough time in the Harry Gwala region during the SALGA games.
"By the time I was 15, I was already playing for the Under-15s. A cow, a sheep, and even cash would be at stake.
"So the name Mkhuthuzi came from the crowd, so one of the opposition players said to me, they are calling you Mkhuthuzi. I was a winger back then. I used to take them on."
Did you like it?
"At Aces I used to wear number 26, so it aligned well with my nickname Mkhuthuzi. 26 is what they call a certain gang in prison. People who mostly use their minds in doing certain things and are not violent.
"So yes I did like the nickname, but not the prison gangsterism part of it. In my life, I have never been to prison and I don't wish to go there, not even to visit someone.
Anyone that didn't use it?
"Most people just call me Thabo or Nodada. In my days in the MDC, they used to call me Rahimi after the Algerian player who won the AFCON with Algeria. He played for FC Porto. I was likened to him."
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If you could relive it, what would you want your nickname to be?
"I would just want to be Nodada, klaar. I've always been known as Nodada.
"Nickname is important in football though, it shows how much people appreciate you, and it means that people see something in you that you might not notice about yourself."
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