In this edition of Negotiating Behind The Scenes, KickOff catches up with former Manning Rangers goal poacher George Koumantarakis.
The Greece-born former Bafana Bafana striker reveals how he was underpaid at the Mighty Maulers although it was his goals that won them the league.
Who I signed for?
"My first contract was with AmaZulu, and I signed with Manning Rangers in the middle of 1991. And I was hardly sold because it was a very small fee.
"I was 16 when I played for Stellar Stars, an amateur team in Durban. I was the top goalscorer in the third division as a 16-year-old, and Mike Makaab was the coach.
"When we didn't qualify and lost in the play-offs, Makaab was given a job at Manning Rangers. But AmaZulu, who had seen me playing for Stellar Stars, signed me the following year.
"But because I was not playing a lot at AmaZulu, halfway into the season, Makaab needed a striker at Rangers. And that's how I went to Rangers."
Where did you meet?
"I was a minor still, so my father had to negotiate on my behalf, only at 18 was I allowed to sign my contract."But we met with Manning Rangers at their club offices in Chatsworth."
Who was there?
"It was the club owner Kaycee Reddy, my father, and me. I can't remember the other guy's name."
What surprised you?
"The biggest thing was that it was my first contract so I didn't have negotiating powers. There was no Bosman Ruling by then, so players were contracted to clubs for life. So we were worried about being tied to a club. It got better when the Bosman Ruling came into power two years later."
Did you get what you wanted?
"I was lucky because by then my father had a successful business, even though we came here in South Africa poor. So I could afford not to worry about money.
"The year I won the league with Rangers I was earning R500 a month. I was very underpaid. Other players at Manning Rangers were earning R5000 a month.
"After winning the league, I was offered a new contract and R3000 a month. And at that stage, SuperSport United had already offered me over R20 000 a month. So you can imagine how cheap I was playing at Rangers.
"Then they said I can go for R500 000. Imagine I'm earning R500 a month, and they want to sell me for R500 000."
Did you see out the contract?
"I didn't see out the contract and I never signed a new contract. I told them I couldn't play for R3000 a month. Then SuperSport United agreed to pay the price tag of R500 000."
What you would change?
"Nothing. I was just happy to play football."