While the recent controversy around him continues at Mamelodi Sundowns, Andile Jali has been praised as for possessing bravery in every situation.
Jali has not been involved in the last seven games for Sundowns with his name in the headlines for disciplinary matters.
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The Bafana Bafana international is due to turn 33 in April and his absence from training in recent weeks has been confirmed, sparking further speculation in his playing future next season.
Through all that is unfolding around his name those that know him from his early days as a rising teenager at University of Pretoria have taken notice.
"At TUKS, he was a hungry and ambitious youngster who always put his best foot forward," says Graham Oosthuis, who was the team manager through Jali's time at the club as a teenager.
Jali made 35 appearances in the two years that he played in the first division for TUKS after being spotted at the Coca-Cola Football Stars talent identification programme.
Andile Jali in the colours of Soweto giants Orlando Pirates
"My biggest memory about him is how confident he was as a player.
"He was always 100% sure in his head that he would make it.
"At that young age, he was already unbelievable in what he was doing.
"Not once was Jali ever scared.
"Not even once do I ever remember him being scared even though back then we used to have high-profile friendly games against Sundowns, Jomo Cosmos, and SuperSport United and he looked just like them from the beginning.
Jali as a teenager
"I know him as a teenager and there were no issues back then.
"From that young age he was always challenging the older and mature players, he was fantastic.
"At TUKS we were lucky with these kind of youngsters.
"From my memory at that stage he was already a top lad who debuted as a teenager.
"There was also a school aspect about it, but I have no collection of how it went on that part.
He has been topical in recent weeks
"I have read a few headlines but being someone who has been in the game I know that things get sensationalized so you can't always believe everything that you read.
"Rather speak to people who are in and around and have first-hand information but I haven't paid too much attention to it.
"For footballers in the limelight they can do something that is half as bad as the normal citizen, but nobody pays attention yet when it's a sports star it's a huge deal.
"If I really wanted to know I would have made calls.
Keeping contact with him
"How it all happens is that the first year after they leave there is contact because of the relationship that was built.
"Then the second year you contact them half as much and then the third year it is even less and I bumped into him once or twice since and it was just a chat.
"Every time I have seen him it has been awesome," says Oosthuis who is now running CFA Midstream academy.