In our exciting feature, My Welcome to the League Moment, KickOff catches up with former Ajax Cape Town, Mamelodi Sundowns and SuperSport United midfielder Brent Carelse on his start as a professional footballer.
Carelse also represented the likes of Ajax Cape Town and SuperSport United in a decorated career as one of the PSL's modern-day talismanic midfielders.
"There is quite a lot because my generation, which came in the late nineties, we played with top players like your Manny Rodrigues, Simphiwe Thomas, Andile Sixaba, Grant Young and those people," Carelse tells KickOff.
"So, my first sort of welcome to the PSL was in training already (laughs).
"I was the new youngster in the team, and when I started at Hellenic, I didn't get straight into the team right away.
"I got sent away on loan straight away and a few months later came back, that's when I was fully integrated into the team.
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"It was pre-season already, youngsters versus oldies in a normal five-a-side game.
"I got kicked by Andrew Tucker and I felt it. He was hard as nails.
"Instead of apologising or comforting me he just looked at me and said exactly those words, 'Welcome to the big leagues, boy'.
"I dusted myself off, and I got up and carried on, and he told me, well done for doing that as well (laughs).
"But I understood it's part of the game, and I expected it to come. Sometimes, we do things to them (defensive players) that they don't like (laughs) so it goes both ways.
"At that specific time, there were a lot of tough guys in our Hellenic team. I knew it was bound to happen.
"There was George Moyo, Andrew Tucker, Craig Rosslee, Manny Rodrigues, who I played a lot against because he was also a midfielder.
"But I was told also before the time, don't expect the guys to take it easy.
"After that incident with Tucker, I started to adapt, especially with the competition in the team.
"I started to know who to approach in a certain way and who not to approach unless you want to stay in the medical room (laughs).
"It also tells that you know what, this is serious, this is no more just playing for fun with development, this is now about meaning a living or putting food on the table."
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