Middendorp and Makaringe have come a long way since their days together at Maritzburg United, when the German handed the player a second break in the PSL in September 2016.
The Chiefs mentor has reflected back on the 26-year-old's journey of how he initially struggled to fit in and only lasted 45 minutes in a 1-0 defeat to Polokwane City, but eventually went on to establish himself as a midfield force under Fadlu Davids.
"Fortune was around in the links, and he was quite unstructured. We played him for the first time in Polokwane and we had to take him out after 45 minutes, because it was not possible [to continue], he didn't fit in the way he should have," recalled Middendorp.
"But [since then] he has developed himself under the guidance of several different coaches up to this point, and he is a very established player with an ambition of going to Bafana Bafana, and he has everything [necessary to make it]."
Makaringe was widely linked with a move to Amakhosi at the start of the season, but Middendorp has now detailed how the player broke a promise made personally to him by instead joining Pirates.
"But I am totally unhappy about Makaringe, [because] there was more or less a certain promise that he would come to me [at Chiefs] in the beginning of the season," the 61-year-old continued.
"I'm very unhappy that he didn't follow this promise that he put in place at a certain time in the first few months of 2019.
"But he made his decision, compliments [to him]; he's in a very fantastic situation, progressing match by match, and you can only compliment him.
"In the end, we only give players guidance and a certain introduction because, we believe [in them], we see a lot of skills, and where a player ends up is up to the player himself and how serious he is about his career."