In this edition of My First Pay Cheque, KickOff speaks to Marumo Gallants FC goalkeeper coach Jacob Mokhasi.
The former Bidvest Wits and South Africa international reveals what he used to earn the national team.
Who you signed for when you received your first pay cheque in professional football?
"I had signed for Bidvest Wits, and I was earning R3 500. Imagine earning so little playing in a professional league and I was a national team player. That was in the year 2000.
"And to me, it was a lot because I didn't understand that being a national team goalkeeper, I was worth more than that.
"Remember, I signed my first professional contract at the age of 17, I had just finished my matric."
How did you celebrate your first pay cheque?
"The thing with me is, I was very disciplined. So the first thing I did, was to send some of the money home to my grandmother. And I had just bought a house with the money I was getting from South Africa national under-23. I was 17 and a half when I bought a house.
"My signing-on fee at Wits was R10 000, eyi kudala basirobha ebholeni! I used some of that money to put a deposit a house in town. I moved my family from kasi to town. Life was nice back then.
"The bond for my house was R250. I also bought myself a Golf 1 in Pretoria, it was R40 000."
For yourself, what did you buy?
"I remember I was very fond of colognes, there was this cologne called Issey Miyake. All of us in the national team used that cologne. Our teammate Ninja Mofokeng was playing in Amsterdam, he is the one who introduced us to it. I think it cost just above R1000.
"I also bought myself a Diesel jean, and after that I was left with nothing.
"And because it was early in the month, I had to go back to the club to ask for a loan knowing by the end of the month, there would be a camp for the national under-23 team.
"That national team money used to boost us man, to be honest. We used to make up to R60 000 in 7 days in that national team.
"And we also had a daily allowance in the national team, which was R500, so seven days in camp gave you a total of R3500 in daily allowances. So sometimes the daily allowance would be better than the monthly salary the club used to give me."