In this edition of My Welcome to the League Moment, KickOff catches up with former Mamelodi Sundowns star Bennett Mnguni.
Mnguni reveals how Sundowns' future was almost finished before it even started during his first match for the club.
"My 'Welcome to the League' moment came in my first game for the club's senior team against Bloemfontein Celtic, that was back in the '90s," the retired footballer tells KickOff.
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"We were playing away, I was in the starting line-up and it was my debut against one of the best-supported clubs in the PSL.
"There were about 20,000 people at Seisa Ramabodu [Stadium] in Bloemfontein. I think it was in 1990.
"Remember, I was a striker before, but the late Ted Dumitru converted me to a defensive midfielder. It was my first game.
"Sello 'Page' Mahlangu and Linda Buthelezi were not part of the team, then there comes that young boy Bennett Mnguni who goes straight into the starting line-up.
"The score was 0-0 when Celtic got a penalty... it was in the 99th minute. The referee had added nine minutes.
"Ace Gulwa scored that penalty. After he scored, the referee blew for full-time. I was devastated. I was worried about my job. I thought my job was finished.
"Sundowns came into that match having lost three matches in a row. Now they make a single change - that was me - and they lose a match. I felt I had let the team down," he explains further.
Mnguni says as everyone else went to the change room, he remained behind in the tunnel.
"I couldn't face the coach," he says.
"The late Joas Magolego was the one who came to fetch me. He said to me, 'Hey, man, why are you sitting here? The coach is looking for you, he wants to speak to you'.
"I kept thinking to myself, 'Now I'm fired'.
"But to my surprise, I was greeted by a huge round of applause when I walked into the change room.
"Everyone was raving about how well I played in that match. Dumitru told me how well I did, [and that] we were just unfortunate to concede a penalty.
"That's a day I will never forget."
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Mnguni went on to enjoy a stellar career where, among other achievements, he became part of Bafana Bafana's 2002 World Cup, as well as travelled with the national team to the Africa Cup of Nations in 2002 and 2004.
He famously marked Zinedine Zidane out of the game in a UEFA Champions League match where Lokomotiv Moscow drew 2-2 with Real Madrid.