In this edition of My First Pay Cheque, Solomon Mathe reveals to KickOff how disappointed he was when he learned how much he was going to be paid monthly at his first Premier Soccer League club.
Who you signed for?
"I signed for Silver Stars. They loaned me from Orlando Pirates. I remember I was playing for their feeder team, Yebo Yes. Manning Rangers and Silver Stars were the two teams interested. That was before the start of the 2004/05 season."
How much was it?
"R5000. It was little even back then [laughs]."
How much were you expecting?
"I remember at the reserve side I would get R2500. It's just that to me, it was not about money, I wanted to play football at the higher level."
How did you celebrate when the first R5000 hit your bank account?
"I just went home to my mother and grandmother, I asked them to write down whatever they wanted."
What did you buy for yourself?
"I bought myself a Lacoste sneaker. It cost me R500. At least people could see I was now playing professional football."
How long did the money last you that month?
"It lasted, because I was already used to surviving on R2500. Plus, I was still staying at the Pirates flat since I went to Silver Stars only on loan. Stars used to train at Modderfontein."
What about the girlfriend allowance?
"She was still at school, so I'd give her R200, and she would be happy the whole month."
Are you happy with what you were paid in your whole football career?
"I feel I could have earned a better salary. But I played for teams that were not paying big salaries.
"When I got to Platinum Stars in 2010, I found that there were players who were earning way better than me, even though I was contributing more than them. In football, it's about who you know."