In this edition of My Locker Room Secrets, former Orlando Pirates winger Dikgang Mabalane reveals all on his time at the star-studded Soweto giants.
Whose locker room are we in today?
"Dikgang Mabalane. I played for three-and-a-half seasons at Orlando Pirates."
Who was always late?
"[laughs] I can't think of anyone besides myself because most times I would arrive late myself.
"To be honest, I'm the one who was always late, because I had pace, I thought I could do everything at the last minute.
"Driving from West Rand to our training ground at Johannesburg Stadium, I thought I would get there quick. I'd get there very late, and at the same time trying to hide from Ruud Krol.
Sometimes I'd arrive already wearing the Under Armour gear and strappings on my knees and ankles. Fortunately, we were not fined in those days."
Any interesting rituals before they played?
"Not necessarily, but me personally, I'd listen to deep house music. Even when my teammates were singing in the bus, I'd just put my headset on and listen to house music.
It helped me to be in the right frame of mind. I'd dance alone while my teammates were singing. Every game I'd do that during a massage. Also, I would massage myself with my baby oil. I wouldn't dare go to the physio."
Who was the Jokester?
"Senzo Meyiwa and Moeneeb Joseph were crazy. Senzo liked dancing, and he was up to date with all the latest music.
There's this song its lyrics goes like: 'Abantwana bangaka, wena wawungenza njani?' he would even sing along. Nzori was always bubbly man. He loved his Gqom music."
Was it a muti change room?
"You know, at Pirates it was not like at Jomo Cosmos where I am from [laughs]. Maybe I joined at the wrong time.
"The only thing I remember at Pirates is…there was this squeeze bottle our kit manager Pule used to carry during pitch inspections. Sometimes he would give it to Senzo or whatever. I'd always run away from them each time they tried to give it to me."
Who was the singer?
"It was Senzo again. You see, the ones who likes talking also likes to sing. His favourite song was 'Sibatshelile we mmah, liyeza ibhakajuju." We would sing that song every time we were on our way to Orlando Stadium.
"But me for this number by Professor 'Imoto etshontsh'imali' did it for me. It still gives me Goosebumps that song, even now each time it plays, it always reminds me of Orlando Stadium speakers. We stole many points because of that song, besishaya goed! It reminds me of our coach Ruud Krol with his pink shirt and all of my teammates."
Who was the best dressed and worst dressed?
"We used to be on each other's case when it comes to clothes, and because of that some people ended up buying wrong stuff trying to catch up.
There's lot of pressure in football, my friend. But Teko Modise loved clothes, even now you can see he still loves clothes. And back then he even loved this hip-hop 'Yhoo ma man' thing. I'd always remind him to pull up his trousers, he always had his trousers under his bum. Even his body is full of tattoos. Benson Mhlongo and Oupa Manyisa used to wear like grootmans, do you know these very strong shoes with a thick sole underneath [Saxone]? It is mostly worn with Brentwood's trousers [laughs]?"
Who never showered?
"[laughs] Many of them tried to avoid the shower. But as senior players, we would call them back to the shower. All these young boys Oupa Manyisa, Andile Jali and Senzo Meyiwa would try to skip the shower, but we would quickly stop them from leaving and tell them 'Kuyagezwa bafana kuyagezwa!" We didn't allow anyone to leave without taking a shower."
Rate the coach's team talk?
"There is only one person for me, and that's Ruud Krol. He commanded respect. He is one of those coaches you'd be willing to work for. It's in Dutch people's culture to be strict, we would all listen during his team talk hence we didn't have a problem of the superstars that time. You could see and understand everything he said."
