In this edition of My First, a former defender shares how Dr. Irvin Khoza once poached him from Jomo Cosmos owner Jomo Sono, after the latter had brought him in from Mpumalanga.
Born in Mpumalanga, former defender Sibusiso Mhlongo shares his first life experiences on and off the field with our readers.
My First School:
"Thandulwazi Primary School in Kanyamazane, near Nelspruit. That's where these Joburg people discovered me. We were young and all we wanted to do was play football. It was great, man. I was seven years old."
My First Kiss:
"I was 16 years old when I had my first kiss. She was from another school and her name was Boitumelo [laughs]. I was a bit of a ladies' man; she only realized later that I was a soccer player."
My First Soccer Boots:
"It was a pair of Adidas Argentina boots, bought for me by my stepfather when I was 12 years old. However, it wasn't the first time I played in soccer boots; remember those days when we used to borrow from those who started on the bench?"
My First Red Card:
"My first-ever PSL game was against Kaizer Chiefs at Palm Brink, and it happened in the 90th minute. We were under attack, and it was the dying stages of the game. Chiefs were all over us. Bra J [Jomo Sono] was shouting at me repeatedly, 'Hey man, go and head those balls!'
“To say I was tired of jumping is an understatement. Imagine playing 90 minutes in your PSL debut against Kaizer Chiefs! Eventually, I ended up using my hand to stop the crosses [laughs], and the referee gave me my second yellow card. What's funny is that after I left the pitch, two more Cosmos players received red cards [laughs]."
My First Goal:
"I remember playing against Mamelodi Sundowns at Loftus Versfeld Stadium. We still had the likes of Hilton Jordaan in our team. They beat us 3-1, but I scored the consolation goal in 1999."
My First Individual Award:
"I was voted Man of the Match in 1999 against Pirates in Vosloorus. We won 1-0, and I had a great battle that day with Sibusiso 'Rhee' Zuma."
My First Trophy With A Club:
"I won the Coca-Cola Cup, where we defeated Kaizer Chiefs 1-0. I think that was in 2001."
My First Car:
"My first car was a Ford Laser, which I bought for R20,000. They were very popular back then. I loved it after seeing most Pirates players driving them in 1998. Apparently, they bought them with their bonuses from the 1995 African Champions League. Helman Mkhalele, Phiri Tsotetsi, and almost the entire Pirates squad were driving Ford Lasers."
My First Signing-On Fee:
"Remember, I started at Pirates. Irvin Khoza poached me from Jomo's Cosmos without even knowing who I was. I was playing for Cosmos in a friendly. Khoza took recommendations from others. When I joined Pirates in 1995, Irvin Khoza paid me a signing-on fee of R10,000.
“That was a lot of money back then. I managed to extend our four-room house in Daveyton by adding one more room."
Photo Credit: Gallo Images