In this edition of My First, KickOff catches up with former Maritzburg United defender Gabriel Nyoni.
The retired Zimbabwe-born player has also played for Cape Umoya in the first division.
My First School:
"My first school is in Zimbabwe; it's called Vurombo Primary School, located in Masvingo City. Like every other kid, I was very anxious, not knowing how I would be treated by my new classmates and friends. I was only six years old."
My First Kiss:
"I think I was in high school when it happened. I was in Form One. A girl just popped out of my class window and gave me a kiss. Yoh! I couldn't believe what happened. I told everybody who cared to listen about it. I was so excited."
My First Soccer Boots:
"I was given my first soccer boots by a teammate because I didn't have any of my own at the time. They were those old Puma boots made of leather."
My First Red Card:
"I received my first and only red card while playing for Maritzburg United. It was against Cape Town City. It was a 50/50 challenge between me and their goalkeeper; we collided, and he came off worse. It was a straight red card."
My First PSL Match:
"My first PSL match was against Golden Arrows in 2019. The full-time score was 0-0. I can't remember the name of the stadium we played in, but it's the one that Arrows use frequently."
My First Goal:
"I scored my first goal while playing for Highlanders in Zimbabwe. I removed my shorts in front of 30,000 people during the celebration, but of course, I was wearing tights underneath. We were playing against Monomotapa, and we won the game 1-0.
My First Individual Award:
"I won two awards at the Mbada Diamonds Cup: the top goalscorer award and the fastest goal of the tournament award. That was in 2014 in Zimbabwe."
My First Car:
"My first car was a Nissan that I bought in 2014 after winning the Diamonds Cup. It cost me 2,000 US dollars."
My First Signing-On Fee:
"I received a signing-on fee of 1,000 US dollars at Masvingo United. I used that money to buy food for my family and to pay my school fees and other expenses.
Photo by Anesh Debiky/Gallo Images