In this edition of Story Behind The Nickname, KickOff catches up with former Kaizer Chiefs defender Derrick Spencer.
Nicknamed "Guru" following his great performances both as a defender and central midfielder, Spencer is a proud owner of two Premier Soccer League titles he won at Chiefs.
Who and where did you play
"Though he was born in KwaZulu Natal, Spencer started his football career at Hellenic before his big move to Kaizer Chiefs.
"He also played for teams like Mamelodi Sundowns, Platinum Stars, and Bidvest Wits FC."
What's your nickname?
"Guru"
Who gave it to you and why?
"To be honest I don't remember how I ended up being called Guru. It was my first season at Kaizer Chiefs.
"My teammates were Cyril Nzama, Tinashe Nengomasha, and also Kaizer Motaung Jr. I'm not sure who gave me the name amongst them though.
"I believe I was given the nickname due to my nature of being a smart player."
Did you like it?
"Oh yes, I did like it. It's a nice name, Guru."
Anyone that didn't use it?
"You know people like my former teammate Cyril Nzama, they will always look for ways to tease you. Eish that guy, imagine a senior player asking airtime from me a junior? [Laughs].
"Each time I won a match he demanded a cut from the prizemoney [laughs], and I used to do as he says. He claimed it was a protection fee.
"Even if I went to represent the country with the national Under 23s team, he wanted a cut from the appearance fee and stuff [laughs], that old man is a crook."
If you could relive it, what would you want your nickname to be?
"The problem is you can't choose a nickname for yourself, if you decide to call yourself Ronaldo then it means you are the person who will be calling yourself Ronaldo [laughs].
"If people don't give you a nickname then it means you are not good at what you are doing, you are a cow.
"People give you a nickname because they appreciate you. If people don't give you a nickname you are like those people who finishes their football career without a medal. So you've got nothing to show."