Former Orlando Pirates winger Thabo Qalinge spoke about his journey to the Soweto Giants and reserved special praise for Dr Irvin Khoza.
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The story
Raised by a family of Orlando Pirates supporters, Thabo "Section 10" Qalinge is one of those "Street Will Never Forget" type-of ballers.
His Kasi Flava skills have long been immortalised in YouTube videos and other compilations and live long in the memory of the Happy People who watched the attacker dazzle the pitch in the mid-2010s.
The 32-year-old, who is currently without a club, sat down with Karabo Phasha on the Bogart Radio podcast, to relive some pivotal moments in his football career.
On his journey to Orlando Pirates, he was in SuperSport United's academy set up and broke through at Mpumalanga Black Aces under the late Clive Barker.
He joined the Sea Robbers in 2014 and touched on how long the process was of joining the Soweto giants, recounting the moment he was scouted by Pirates' Technical Director, Stanley "Screamer" Tshabalala to the "four of five" meetings with chairman, Dr Irvin Khoza.
Qalinge heaped praise on the Bucs chairman on Bogart Radio, praising the seasoned South African football administrator for his arm-around-the-shoulder approach when luring him from Aces to Pirates.
"It was an honour," says Qalinge on meeting Dr Irvin Khoza for the first time, adding: "What I liked about meeting him is that he is relatable, he's from eKasi. It was a very good feeling [meeting Dr Khoza] and also, I started taking myself more seriously. Because if I can find myself in the same spaces as Dr Khoza, with him giving me life advice, I told myself that I need to take things more seriously.
"Seeing him for the first time was a shock, but he's a regular person. We sat down, had a chat and I saw that he's a nice guy, a very funny guy. The chairman will make you laugh, he loves joking around. All in all, he shows you plenty of respect, even with your flaws. Like any elder, he understands that people make mistakes when they're young," says Qalinge, crediting the Pirates chairman for going the extra mile in efforts to sign him and the wisdom he imparted in the meetings they had.
Qalinge spoke about the day he officially signed for the club and the five-year contract he received, he showed his appreciation to the the Pirates chairman on having his best interest at heart:
"I was a youngster, I was not expecting to earn that much, but the chairman gave me a really nice contract. He looked after me on top of that. It was not just about the contract, it was also about my wellbeing, he was like a father. From an early age, I had to make sure I saved money and making solid investments in property and other things. The chairman even advised me what car I should purchase, and urged me to avoid the sports cars and get a little Polo, just something to get me to training.
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Watch Qalinge on Bogart Radio below:
Skip to 23rd-minute to listen to Qalinge speaking about Dr Khoza and Pirates.
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