When Moroka Swallows brought in Julio Leal as head coach ahead of the start of the 2008/09 season, they also added four Brazilian players to their squad.
It was Davi Rancan, Vinicius da Silva, Igor Alves, and Elton Morelato.
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Rancan was the oldest and most experienced having already playing in Romania and China, yet he had never even heard of Swallows and was totally blank about football on this continent.
"The first time that my agent told me about the offer (from Swallows) he sent me a picture of the club's jersey and I thought it was a German club (VfL Wolfsburg) because of the Volkswagen sponsor logo on the jersey," Rancan discloses talking to KickOff.com from home in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil.
"That time Swallows had VW on the shirt so I just thought this Germany team will be good for me.
"I immediately spoke to my dad and we both agreed that the team is from Germany not knowing that it is South Africa.
"You know what happens when two people convince each other to think they know when they don't [laughing].
"What made it awkward was that my agent had been quick in talking to me and had then just sent me an image of the team's jersey and told me to travel to Sao Paulo the next day to meet the president of the club (Leon Prins) who he said likes me.
"I had no time to even ask my agent about which country this team was from because I just thought it was Germany until I met Leon Prins who had been visiting Brazil.
"I then went to meet Leon, and he said the club is in South Africa, but I will give you good conditions and good money which was okay at that time.
"The time in South Africa brought me massive publicity because I was interviewed by every big television channel afterward.
"In the end coming to South Africa wasn't about the money but learning about Africa and having history that nobody will ever take from me.
"The money at Swallows was not big at the time but
"In China, the money was better than in SA and Brazil, but I wasn't happy there because of the food, people, and lifestyle which I think is better now.
"I stayed for six months in China but lost so much weight because there wasn't proper food available for me and I stayed alone plus the training was different.
"What attracted me to South Africa back then was that the World Cup was coming up in two years so the eyes of the world would be on the country.
"It just made good sense.
"However, the truth is that before I met Leon, I knew absolutely nothing about soccer in Africa.
"I mean nothing, nothing, nothing.
"I tried to check all the information and I found out that the game is at a good level and spoke to some Portuguese-speaking guys like Zeca Marques who told me that the country is good to live with your family.
"Zeca told me that there won't be problems and after that, I accepted the offer from Leon Prins.
"When I arrived for the first time, I loved the country and realised that I had made a good decision because I loved the beauty of the country.
"Up to now, I have no regrets because I won the Nedbank Cup and have great memories of South Africa.
"While in South Africa, my mom and sister visited, and I stayed with my wife which tells you that South Africa was okay compared to other places where I played.
"In Europe, the people were cold towards each other, unlike South Africa which was welcoming like Brazil," details Rancan.
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