In this edition of My First, KickOff speaks to former Platinum Stars FC midfielder Solomon Mathe.
The now-retired 45-year-old former footballer shares a "hand of God" situation that went terribly wrong.
My First School:
"My first school was Dr. Nhlapo Primary School, which is located in Boipatong. My first day wasn’t hectic because most of the children were from my neighborhood. This made it easy for me to settle in. That was in 1987."
My First Kiss:
"[Laughs] I don't remember exactly how old I was, but I was still in primary school—maybe around 15 or 16 years old. She was a very beautiful girl, and since we were both school athletes, we eventually ended up dating."
My First Soccer Boots:
"My first soccer boots were a pair of Olympic soccer boots. My parents bought them for me after hearing my school teacher talk about how good I was at football. I was 13 years old at the time and still in primary school."
My First Red Card:
"My first red card came while I was at Bloemfontein Celtic. We were playing against Maritzburg United (now Durban City FC). I was literally the last line of defense when I tried to stop the ball with my hand. A penalty was awarded against us, even though the ball had already crossed the line when I touched it. We lost that match 1-0 due to that penalty."
My First Own Goal:
"I have scored only one own goal in my career, and it happened while I was playing for Platinum Stars. During a free-kick, our goalkeeper seemed beaten, and when I tried to clear the ball, I accidentally used my hand. We were playing against SuperSport United at the time."
My First Goal:
"My first goal in the Premier Soccer League (PSL) was scored while I was at Silver Stars. I scored against Polokwane City at Peter Mokaba Stadium."
My First PSL Match:
"My first PSL match was against Kaizer Chiefs while I was at Silver Stars. It was a six o'clock game at FNB Stadium. Unfortunately, we lost 2-1, and Collins Mbesuma scored both goals for them."
My First Individual Award:
"I received my first individual award the same season—I was named Silver Stars' Most Improved Player in 2005."
My First Trophy with a Club:
"I won my first trophy with Silver Stars in 2007, which was the Telkom Knockout against Ajax Cape Town."
My First Car:
"My first car was a Polo 1.6, and I bought it in Midrand for R160,000 in 2007."
My First Signing-On Fee:
"My first signing-on fee was R100,000, which I received at Silver Stars. It was paid over two transfer windows, with a taxed R50,000 in August and another taxed R50 000 in January."
