In the latest edition of Negotiating Behind The Scenes, KickOff catches up with former Mamelodi Sundowns legend Joel "Fire" Masilela.
Masilela shares a story of how he ended up at the gigantic club.
Who I signed for?
"I signed for Sundowns from their reserve side. I couldn't believe my eyes, I was speechless because of the excitement I felt that day. It came to me as a shock.
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"It only sunk in when I was sitting on the bench wearing the first-team jersey. I couldn't believe it was me rubbing shoulders with the likes of Samuel "Eewie" Kambule, Harris Choeu, Harold "Jazzy Queen" Legodi, Rabbie Moripe.. .my role models, guys I'd been watching on TV. That was in 1990.
It was amazing. In my first game, I came up as a sub replacing Jazzy Queen."
How did you find out?
"I was with their U19 team, their reserve side. They recruited me at Publican Brothers, a team from Mamelodi, after impressing in the Sundowns trials."
Where did you meet?
"We negotiated the first-team contract at President Street, 3rd Floor, in Joburg. I still remember."
Who was there?
"It was me, Screamer Tshabalala, Trott Moloto, Abbie Krok and Natasha Tsichlas.
"They were so happy to see me signing with the first team because there was a rumour about Jomo Sono wanting to sign me for [Jomo] Cosmos. And Kaizer Chiefs also were preparing to offer me a contract.
"Jomo even came to Mamelodi to speak to my mother and father, only to find that I was not around, I was at training. He came with Bra Vicky [Victor Ramathesele]."
What surprised you?
"I didn't have any clue when it came to contract negotiations, but they said to me, 'We are not going to give you a senior contract because you are still underage. We are going to give you a junior contract.'
My salary was R480 per month. The signing-on fee was R3 500."
Did you get what you wanted?
"Yes."
Did you see out the contract?
"It was a two-year contract, so yeah, I did see it out."
What you would change?
"A lot. If I compare that era and the current one, I see a big difference. Today, football is a serious business, players are well looked-after. They are earning what they deserve.
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"In our time, we had no dreams of buying a house, staying in the suburbs and driving expensive cars. We were just happy to stay in the township."