These days he turns out for one of the biggest clubs in the country, but Kaizer Chiefs star Ranga Chivaviro details how he nearly quit the beautiful game.
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Chivaviro is finally showing the promise that made Kaizer Chiefs sign him from Marumo Gallants at the start of the season.
After all, the 31-year-old enjoyed a splendid 2022/23 season with Gallants, particularly in their CAF Confederations Cup run where he scored seven goals in 10 competitions.
Goals haven't come as regularly in the colours of Amakhosi though, as he managed just four goals in 20 appearances so far in this campaign.
In a recent interview with Kaizer Chiefs TV, the burly striker details how he had moved onto the corporate world after having limited opportunities, until a trial for the Mpumalanga provincial team sparked a change in his fortunes.
"So I think from a very young age, I think if I'm to remember correctly from the age of seven, there was a time when my love for soccer was dying and I decided to focus on other things. But I guess it was destined for me to, you know, be a professional footballer. So the reason I say my love for soccer was dying, where I come from is an area where it's not really a place where there's a lot of football. Rugby was the thing, so. I felt like where I am, there was no opportunities, like when you get to places like Gauteng or Durban or Cape Town, you know there's more exposure. So where I was coming from in Secunda, soccer wasn't such a big thing. And obviously I had to be realistic, and I did not see myself making it in the football world as to where would my first step be," he said.
"So how I got to where I am now? I started off playing for an amateur team because it's in the Castle League (SAB League). I was just doing it after work. It was fun for me because there was no incentive. And one day I was at work, I get a call from my coach and he's like, ‘where are you? I'm like, ‘I'm at work’. He's like, ‘there's u21 trials here for, for Mpumalanga' and I had my 10 -15 minutes trial. And fortunately for me, they were very happy with what they saw.
"When I arrived at Kaizer Chiefs, I had this feeling of welcome. I thought of the spirit of Ubuntu and it was accompanied by professionalism. Like the first time I went to the village, when I got a small tour around the village, you know, from the gym, the field, you know, I saw a lot of professionalism and the people that were around and they were very kind and welcoming. So that's how I felt and obviously getting into my first game. My first few months at Chiefs were not easy because I think on my second week I got injured and I was out for the whole pre-season and I think one more week before the season started, that's when I got back and the first game of the season. Fortunately for me, I was in the starting line-up and obviously I was a bit worried about my fitness because I had now missed a lot of work during the preseason. But I thought I did okay. There was so much support from the coaches, from the guys but it was a dream come true for me.”
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