Former Bafana Bafana midfielder Macbeth Sibaya had quite a special journey in Europe, from having supporters create a song specially for him to being part of a Rubin Kazan side that beat Barcelona at Camp Nou.
In this interview with Soccer Laduma, the former Jomo Cosmos man takes us through an incredible journey that saw him playing abroad for close to 10 years.
The years
I was there (in Norway and then Russia) from 2003 to 2010. It's was quite interesting for me to be there because i started in Norway at Rosenborg. It gave me a very good start and foundation in Europe and to get a bigger picture that being there was strictly about work, to be in the right frame of mind. I knew what I needed to achieve while I was there.
How the moves happened
I was in Brescia in Italy, busy negotiating a contract. But I was not happy with it. After the (2002) Africa Cup of Nations in Mali with Bafana Bafana, I returned to my club Jomo Cosmos and we played against Kaizer Chiefs at Ellis Park. There were scouts there scouting for Rosenborg and they were actually there for Jabu Pule (now Mahlangu). When they went back, they started looking at my videos. I was on their radar because it was before the (2002) World Cup in Korea/Japan. They kept an eye on me since that game against Chiefs. When I went to the World Cup, they were convinced that I should be the one they sign because I was a good fit because their captain at the time was retiring. He was a number six. Not that I was better than Jabu, but my signing made more sense for the replacement. I was only there for a season. And then there was the move to Rubin Kazan. So, before the World Cup, they came to speak to Jomo (Sono). They wanted to sign me for the first division, but I told them we should meet after the World Cup. I ended up joining Rosenborg, but after a season with them, we had a pre-season camp in Spain and then Rubin Kazan saw me again. Given the changes that they were having at Rosenborg, I decided that if Rubin Kazan wanted to discuss (a transfer) with Rosenborg, then it's fine. They came to an agreement. The offer was good.
The rands cents
It was a big change. When I was in Norway, for example, we played in the Champions League. We were in a group with Lyon, Inter Milan and I think Ajax (Amsterdam). I only featured for a few minutes. I don't think it was more than 20 minutes in those games combined. They said we would get a bonus, so I was expecting something like R50 000. Then, I started counting zeros in the bank. When the money is beyond what you expected, then you get a little bit confused. I was counting and I was like 2 million Krone, which was about the same as the rand. I was confused, so I wanted to call the office to check if they made a mistake, but I thought what if they reverse the money. But I called them anyway and then I ended up diverting the conversation. I called my wife, who was my girlfriend then, and I told her to go find a house. The internet was so slow at the time. It would take forever for one page to download. She looked for her and she said it's perfect. I sent my uncle to check the place because we were young at the time and things were happening fast. My uncle was happy and I sent the money and I bought the house cash. I won't tell you about the salary, but I just wanted you to see what it was like. That was in 2003.
My first in Europe
So, before I went to Norway, I played in Hungary (in 1998), at Kerulet in Budapest. It was a three month loan which helped me a lot because it gave me a bigger picture and how serious I should take things. It made me realise how important it was to take the dream seriously. It's a journey that shaped me for my achievements. I was young and everything was different. I went to Hungary with Lucas Tlhomelang and another guy. They left after two months and I was left alone there. It was quite an experience. I came back a different person. When I went to Norway, it was surprising because I didn't go on trial. They just signed me right away. When we arrived, they were playing a home game and the reception was quite amazing. It was not something I expected because I was still trying to develop as a player. Normally you'd expect players who played at Chiefs, Pirates or Sundowns to get a reception, so it was quite moving. They even had a song already when I arrived in Norway, but I could only hear 'Sibaya, Sibaya, Sibaya'.
My debut
My debut in Norway was heavy. I could see that the team had big ambitions with me. They had a lot of expectations, but the reception I got from the players and staff was good. So, it was up to me to deliver according to their expectations. When I left Cosmos, my position was as a destroyer. When I got to Europe, they had already started with the so-called anchorman. It was totally different from being a destroyer. It involved a lot of responsibility in terms of organisation and understanding. I was just introduced into that type of responsibility, but I had to deliver. It was quite a challenge.
The best player I played with
It's Sergei Semak. He is the coach of Zenit St Petersburg. He was about to retire, so we played together and we had an influence on one another. We won some trophies together. After him, there was Christian Noboa. He was my understudy and he was a number six for Ecuador. We still share a number of stories of how we got to the team because it was tough. He had never experienced such tough coaches because they would shout at you like they are mad. He was not used to that environment at the time, so I was able to introduce him to mentality in Russia.
The best player I played against
Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta. I played against them in the Champions League. They were the best players in the world at the time. We played them at a time when Barcelona was bashing everyone and beating them at Camp Nou. I met them again during the FIFA Confederations Cup (in 2009). It was quite challenging coming up against them, especially because the midfield position keeps evolving more than the other positions.
