In this feature of Where Are They Now, KickOff catches up with former Mamelodi Sundowns and Witbank Black Aces legend Harris "TV4" Choeu.
Though many from his generation are now living in poverty, the Tshwane-born former defender shares how putting education first set him up for a better life after football.
Who am I?
"After Matric, I studied teaching. After that, I went to Witbank. I was a teacher at Elukhanyisweni High School when I played for Witbank Aces.
"After that, I went to Austria for a year, and coming back I went to the University to do my Degree and an Honours Degree, by then I was playing for Sundowns.
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"I then became a lecturer in a teacher's college in KwaNdebele. After that, an education specialist here in Gauteng.
"I was born in Pretoria and grew up in Garankuwa, we then left for Polokwane in Seshego. I attended the boarding schools in Limpopo.
"When Patrice Motsepe came into football, because I knew him from back in the days as we are both from Pretoria, I joined Sundowns full-time as a team manager, and later a coach. I was almost everything there [laughs]."
My playing days?
"Thank God, I was able to choose teams I played for correctly, so I never had a problem.
"My first team in the semi-professional [ranks] was Seshego Saints, who campaigned in the NFD. Then from there, I went to Witbank Black Aces.
"Unfortunately, our generation couldn't reach our potential because at some stage, Patrice wanted to take us to England for a learning curve - it was Trott Moloto and myself and the others. That's when we realised that football is bigger than what is happening here at home. I was also a student at RAU and did the Sports Management diploma."
Did you make money from soccer?
"I can't say I did because otherwise I'd be owning businesses as we speak [laughs], but I was living beyond normal level because most of the time I had two salaries. I spent most of my time buying properties. So, I qualified for bank loans."
Where I'm living
"I'm currently in the West Rand, I live in Westonaria. All along I've been staying in Midrand, but I lost my wife to Covid in 2021. But my kids have grown, they have degrees."
Jobs since playing the game?
"After hanging up my boots, I became one of the development coaches at Sundowns, the likes of OJ Mabizela were our players.
"When Pitso Mosimane left Sundowns for SuperSport United, I became the next development coach. I then left to work as an assistant coach at Orlando Pirates for five years.
"I worked with Roy Barreto, I won the league two times in five years at Pirates. After that, I went back to Sundowns, and by then I was working as an education specialist."
My current job?
"I'm working with different companies, especially in training because I'm an academic. It's education-related."
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If I could do it again
"In terms of my football career as a player, there is not much I can do, but the only thing I can do is to be very strict with people who are buying teams. Some people have only R40 million, and they rush to buy a PSL team thinking the money will do whatever, to only discover very late that it's not like that.
"That is what is killing our football. It's no use to have good players if you have the worst management. We can't have someone in a club management just by being the club owner's son. To keep their jobs, employees will just agree to everything he says, which is not good for football."