Two decades have since passed since Justice Sithole was last a youth international who won caps for both Amajita and the national U23 team known as Amaglug-glug back then.
Yet Sithole still recalls how a dream opportunity to join French club Racing Club Lens slipped through his fingers.
He spent three-and-a-half years at Chiefs after being brought in from the amateur ranks in Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal.
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During that time, he went to the U23 Festival International de Espoirs in 2002 with the squad that was coached by Shakes Mashaba.
"I once had an offer from Lens (Racing Club de Lens) after we played in a tournament in France," discloses Sithole.
"This was an offer that was placed on the table for Chiefs to consider.
"However, at that time, Chiefs still needed me and I was of use to them at a young age.
"I was a regular player at the time, and it was difficult for Chiefs to even consider letting me go when I still had so much potential of growing.
"Through that time, I still had an agent and if an agent has already discussed a matter with the club and reached an agreement, then you are overpowered regardless of what you think.
"My agent and the club spoke about this offer before they even came to me.
"So, by the time that they came to discuss this matter with me, they had already reached an agreement that I should stay.
"If both the agent and the club are already in agreement, then there is little that you can do as a player.
"This move then ultimately became beyond me because I was overpowered by my agent and the club.
"Maybe if this had been done differently, then I could have left.
"I would have thought that Chiefs would have probably asked Lens to better their offer and if they did, then maybe I would have left.
"You never know what could have happened in my career had I taken the step to Lens.
"But then with things that are in the past, they are better left in the past like that because it will just hurt me if I keep thinking about it now.
"The fact of the matter is that I was still young and didn't speak for myself in matters relating to my things.
"I had a contract with Chiefs and if they didn't want to release me, then it was because they had their own reasons for it.
"It became that.
"Unfortunately, my career ultimately turned out the way it did as I ended up playing in the First Division," says Sithole, who discloses his horror stay at FC AK.
"To me, FC AK doesn't exist.
"I even forget that I was once there because for all the five to six months I spent there, I was never paid once.
"It was all empty promises until I decided to leave.
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"Luckily, I still had a place in Johannesburg and used to drive to training from my own pocket and come month end there was no pay and no bonuses," reveals Sithole, who is now the boss of SAB League club Newcastle Warriors.