In this edition of Locker Room Secrets, former Mamelodi Sundowns flying winger Joel "Fire" Masilela takes KickOff readers back inside the club's dressing room during his playing days, where an assortment of characters could be found.
The Mamelodi-born former player was part of the exciting Sundowns side that clinched the league title three times in a row in the '90s playing alongside the likes of Joas Magolego, Roger Feutmba and Raphael Chukwu, to mention but three.
Unbeknownst to many, beyond those amazing talents on the football field, were characters off of it.
Who was always late?
"The late Bennet Masinga was always late. To him, it was a disease and a habit of not wanting to be early. Even at training, he was always in a rush. He was never punctual. Teammates and coaches were used to him being late [laughs]."
Any interest rituals before they played?
"Zane Moosa, as a Muslim, every morning would always start by praying. He would first ask me from which direction the sunrise was on that particular day. He wanted to pray facing that particular direction. It's their belief, they believe in Allah. In every trip or camp, he always prayed."
Who was the jokester?
"The late Samuel 'Eewie' Kambule. On the pitch, he looked serious, but off it, he was quite crazy. You never stopped laughing around him."
Was it a muti change room?
"It was a mixture. We would make a concoction of prayer and muti cocktail. We would do it every time, even at training. On the eve of the match day, the late Bra Stan Tshabalala would take our jerseys and soccer boots to the muti man and return with them tomorrow morning."
Who was the singer?
"To be honest, we all loved singing. It was mostly church songs."
Who was the best- and the worst-dressed?
"I think me, Harris Choeu and Harold Legodi were on another level. Legodi was not called 'Jazzy Queen' for nothing. That guy had an expensive taste, ijezi lokudura. He used to wear a very expensive jersey. He and Harris Choeu were gentlemen.
"As for the rest of the guys, they were always in their normal clothes, while the likes of Ernest Chirwali would wear their African attires or dresses."
Who never showered?
"Chance Gondwe bekasaba amanzi. It was in his nature. He was born like that. But most of the guys did shower, they would go to their cars smelling [of] nice cologne."
Rate the coach's team talk
"Clement Westerhof was the best. He made football simple. He never complicated things. He did most of his stuff in training. He would allow players to have an input in his starting line-up."