In our new exciting feature called My First, KickOff shines the spotlight on former Orlando Pirates player Sepeke Manamela as he reveals his firsts.
The 46-year-old retired midfielder reveals which club he used to follow before his big move to the Buccaneers.
READ | 'Pleased to meet you, I'm Irvin Khoza, and welcome to Orlando Pirates'
My First school:
"I first attended schooling at Dagbreek Primary School, it's based in Modimolle in Limpopo."
The first team I supported
"I supported Kaizer Chiefs but purely because my elder brother used to be a staunch Kaizer Chiefs supporter. But as time went by. I decided to change and follow Orlando Pirates after signing with them [laughs]. Since then, I never went back to Chiefs."
My first pair of soccer boots:
"There was this brand Olympic, my mother bought them for me in 1994. I remember we were going to play in a national school tournament, Chappies Little League.
"I remember my mom promising to buy me a pair if I passed my grade. Those days, parents didn't just buy soccer stuff; your schoolwork needed to be impressive.
"I guess hearing people on the street telling them how good I was on the pitch left them no choice. I was 12 years old at the time and playing in the U15."
The first club I played for:
"Winners Park FC from Polokwane was my first professional club. That was during the 2004/05 season. I was signed from Kamela Young Killers of Lephalale."
My first goal:
"I was at PJ Stars and we were playing against Zulu Royals, that was in Dobsonville. If I'm not mistaken we won 3-1. My first intention was to deliver a cross to my teammates, but I quickly realized that a goalkeeper had left his goal line, and I decided to hit it first pole."
My first red card:
"My only red card came against Maritzburg United, and I was with AmaTuks in the 2012/13 season.
"That was unfortunate. I had an incident with the referee at the beginning of the match and wayithatha ngenhliziyo lo baba [he became emotional about it].
"It was a throw-in for Maritzburg, and because before my move to Tuks, I was playing for a Vodacom League club, so I still had the Vodacom League mentality of wasting time. He gave me a yellow card for that. Later on, he gave me a second yellow card for what he said was a two-footed tackle.
"So, when the referee reprimanded me, I decided to insult him in Sepedi. Unfortunately, I forgot his name, but he was Xhosa. He destroyed a career I was trying to revive."
My first individual award/honour:
"None. I don't have any."
My first trophy:
"During my time at Orlando Pirates, we only finished as runners-up; we never won anything as a club."