In the latest edition of Negotiating Behind The Scenes, former Orlando Pirates player Mpho Rashete explains how he came to join the Soweto giants.
Rashete says he should have stayed with Maritzburg United, even though at the time, he felt unwelcome at the KwaZulu-Natal club following match-fixing allegations.
Who did I sign for?
"I remember that day very well. It was 2006. I signed for Orlando Pirates, joining from Maritzburg United during the off-season.
"The move happened a few weeks after my son was born."
How did you find out?
"I received a call from Screamer Tshabalala. He said, 'Hey son, you are speaking to Screamer.' My response was, 'Which Screamer?' Then he said to me, 'Hey son, there is only one Screamer here in South Africa.' He suggested we meet at the hotel in Wanderers.
"Because it was the off-season, the following day, I went there. However, what surprised me was that when I arrived at the hotel, Irvin Khoza was there instead of Screamer."
Where did you meet? "I negotiated with Khoza in a hotel, and after that, we headed to the Pirates' offices, where I signed on the dotted lines.
"I informed them about my ligament problem, but they assured me, 'No problem, you will recover along the way. We want you. Bear in mind I'm not even a free agent; Pirates stole me. I still had a one-year contract remaining with Maritzburg.
"I was no longer happy at Maritzburg after they accused me of selling games."
Who was there?
"It was only me and Irvin Khoza. At the time, my agent was the radio DJ Glen Lewis, but he was not present during the negotiations."
What surprised you?
"Not much because I was not new to these negotiation situations. I just didn't expect a big club like Pirates to come for me in my first season in the PSL. That was my only surprise. I was just happy because the deal was going to enable me to stay near my newborn son."
Did you get what you wanted?
"Yes, I did. I don't want to lie; my contract was good."
Did you see out the contract?
"I had signed for three years but stayed two and left in the third year. Ruud Krol arrived, and we were told we were not in his plans.
"That's how I left Orlando Pirates."
What would you change?
"I should have stayed at Maritzburg United and only joined Pirates when I had properly healed from the ligament injury. I should have waited until my confidence was high again.
"But I'm happy with the number of games I played for Pirates. It's just that football sometimes has its own politics.
"I should have stayed at Maritzburg because there I was a captain, and everything was okay, except this thing of being accused of selling games.
That was unfortunate because I used to play through the pain for the club. I was no longer training; they would just give me an injection and put me on the pitch.
Something I would never recommend to the current generation. Never sacrifice yourself for a team. Tomorrow they are going to spit you out."