In this edition of My First Pay Cheque, KickOff calls in on Baroka FC defender Ananias Gebhardt, who reveals his excitement when the game started rewarding him financially.
The Namibian national team international reveals how he had to live on Morvite instant porridge for a whole month after receiving his first-ever salary in professional football.
READ | Ex-Swallows star: I'd be earning R1.3 million a month
Who you signed for?
"That was back home in Namibia in 2006. I was still in Grade 11, playing for a First Division team called Invincibles.
"I was very excited. They used to give us R100 for a win and R50 for a draw in bonuses. We played two games a weekend, so in a month, we would play, like, eight games.
"That season I think we ended second because we got deducted points after we fielded two defaulters. Two foreign players were not properly registered."
How much was it?
"Remember, I was in Grade 11 at the time, and they used to pay us in cash. We would get the money immediately after the game, so if we won both matches on the weekend, you had R200.
"So, from eating magwinya and sweets at school, I was now eating hotdogs. So, my first pay cheque, all in all, it was R800. Weekly, it was R200."
How did you celebrate?
"Imagine you were playing school football, and here comes this professional club, and they sign you. Every weekend, you come home with a R200. That was a huge thing.
"I was staying with my younger brother in the hostels. The whole week, we would probably use 30 to 40 bucks to buy stuff for our hostel room. There was this thing called Morvite [instant porridge] – we would buy it, and then we would be sorted [for the month]. Looking at it now, with R200, you can only buy airtime.
"So, we celebrated by buying food."
What did you buy for yourself though?
"All-Star sneakers. Those days, they were an in-thing, my friend. They were big. They probably cost R400. I would probably contribute some of the money at home for my aunt to buy groceries."
Did it last you the whole month?
"Yeah, it did. There was no girlfriend allowance, they knew we were not earning much. I was only into a serious relationship when I moved to my second team."