Orlando Pirates captain Happy Jele has revealed how he ended up at the Buccaneers instead of Kaizer Chiefs in 2006.
Jele, who has not played at any other professional club in his life, has joined the Sea Robbers in August 2006 as a teenager.
The now 34-year-old has spent 15 years with Pirates and he had celebrated his 400th appearance in a recent game against Swallows FC.
“I was playing Amateur league for Walter Stars FC and at school I used to play as well and I was selected a Coca-Cola football star, and it happened that we played Orlando Pirates in a friendly game at Mpumalanga and afterwards I got some invite to come and train with Orlando Pirates,” Jele told Thomas Mlambo on Ultimate Sports Show on Metro FM.
“We were in the school tournament where there were coaches and scouts who had to select nine players out of thousands to go to camp for some teams so I was selected to be part of Kaizer Chiefs.
“Then from there we played a game against Pirates and things changed as Pirates came on board.
“I was still at school then the Chiefs management came to my house to talk to my parents but I was not there and when I came back from training my mother told me that this is the situation and I told mom don’t sign now because I didn’t see those people so I’m not sure.
“So while I was still playing at school and even at Walter Stars then Orlando Pirates came to play against us then after that I decided to go to Pirates. I decided not my parents, I made that decision.”
Jele then went on to explain that former Pirates midfielder Lebohang Mokoena, who now plays for Swallows, inspired him to pick the Buccaneers over Chiefs.
“I made a decision, I had a goal that time I was 17 or 18 and for me I was watching Cheesboy on TV while he was 17 years old, so he inspired that I can fit in the PSL,” he added.
“So Kaizer Chiefs came with the development contract because they wanted me to play in the under 19 and I was doing grade 12 and I told myself that ah I can’t go there in the development because I wanted to change my life as well.
“There’s a Witbank Spurs in the Mvela league and I started to train in the pre-season with them in 2005, then I would go and come back then attend their school.
“But for me I had a goal that I wanted to play because I saw Cheesboy at the age of 17 playing for Orlando Pirates, so I thought even me I can compete there, so it started there then I said mother I’m going there and I did.”
