In this edition of Story Behind The Nickname, KickOff catches up with former Orlando Pirates and Jomo Cosmos defender Lucas "Look Around" Tlhomelang.
The 44-year-old Vryburg-born retired left-back explains why Cosmos owner and head coach Jomo Sono gave him the nickname.
Who and where did you play?
"I started at Jomo Cosmos, and from there I went to Orlando Pirates, Bloemfontein Celtic and Mpumalanga Black Aces.
"At Jomo Cosmos, that's where I enjoyed my football the most because that's where it all started, that's where I played Cup Finals and played for the national team. I even went overseas after playing for Jomo Cosmos.
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"All that just proves exactly how much I enjoyed my football under Bra J."
What's your nickname?
"Look Around"
Who gave it to you and why?
"The name was given to me by Bra J while I was still on trial at Jomo Cosmos. In 1996 I went for trials at Cosmos around June, the training session was in Primrose at Germiston.
"Jomo kept on saying, eish, this boy doesn't lose the ball, he always looks around for his teammates who are available for a pass.
"From that moment, he kept on calling me Look Around, hey look at this guy, he doesn't give the ball away man."
Did you like it?
"Yes, I did. Remember I was still new in Johannesburg, and remember by then at Cosmos we had the likes of Godfrey Sapula, Andrew Rabutla, Arthur Zwane, the late Zinto Dube, Collen Tlemo, Teboho Mokoena, Pitso Matlala, Forcy Moalusi, all the big-name players."
Anyone who didn't use it?
"From there, everyone was calling me Look Around, but because I'm light-skinned in complexion, the other guys would call me Coloured. They thought I was speaking Afrikaans. I could hear them asking each other, Tjoo! Lelakuphi le coloured elishaya ibhathu so? Only to find out moments later that I'm Tswana."
If you could relive it, what would you want your nickname to be?
"Growing up they used to call me Ayashisa Amateki. That's because at home we were not rich, we were so poor I couldn't afford soccer boots, so I used my takkies instead.
"Nicknames are very important because that's how supporters relate to you as a player."
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