Former Bafana Bafana captain Steve Pienaar recently revealed how he could have won the UEFA Champions League after parting ways with Everton in 2011.
To date, Benni McCarthy remains the only South African to have lifted the Champions League, having done so with FC Porto in 2004.
But, his former national teammate Steven Pienaar could have had the same honour, had he chosen Chelsea instead of Tottenham in 2011.
At the time, Pienaar was at the top of his game and one of the most sought after players in world football. A salary dispute at Everton saw him seek greener pastures, with both London giants Tottenham Hotspurs and Chelsea keen on his services.
"I had a long discussion with the club [Everton] at the time to renew my contract, because I had six months left. I was clear to the manager at the time that I want to stay at the club, but they need to take my salary to the level of the other players that are staying," he said on the Feed The Yak Podcast.
"They said, 'this is what we're' offering you and I said, 'It's not all about the money – but I am one of your most valuable players and I need to be treated as such'. We couldn't come to an agreement, and I said, 'fine I will go to Tottenham, and they said, 'there is no chance you're going to Tottenham, they only place you're going is Chelsea'.
"To be fair, it wasn't a bad club, I spoke with the people at Chelsea, and I spoke to the people at Tottenham, and I made my decision based on how I felt at the time, and I chose Spurs."
Ultimately, Pienaar endured an injury-ridden spell at White Hart Lane, while Chelsea would go on to lift the UEFA Champions League and the FA Cup in the 2011/12 season.
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