Regret: How Kaizer Chiefs fumbled Teko Modise years ago
It was back in 2007 while lighting up the league with SuperSport United when Teko Modise was being eyed by his boyhood club Kaizer Chiefs.
The three-time PSL winner was the talk around town, but the noises weren't loud enough for AmaKhosi, who, after showing interest, remained reluctant to sign the Soweto-born star.
A few months later, he was in Orlando Pirates threads.
'I could have played for Kaizer Chiefs a little bit earlier but I don't know what happened,' Modise said on the Izinja zeGame podcast.
'I think Bobby Motaung can tell the story a little better. He called me after the first season of playing in Mvela (National First Division) and said 'I want you to come play for Chiefs'.
'I said I am ready whenever you are. And I waited for five, six years and it he never came through. That's why I started disliking Chiefs.
'I knew that the No.10 jersey was waiting for me at Chiefs. I knew I was going to do better things. Imagine my performance at Pirates and put it at Chiefs,' he added.
'The first team that I got accustomed to and introduced to as a kid was Chiefs, I knew everything about Chiefs. My idol (Doctor Khumalo) played for Chiefs.
'I did not care how much money I was going to get, I wanted to play for Chiefs. But now that I was not given the opportunity to play for Chiefs – and there was no point where I was expensive to buy, no,' he said.
'SuperSport were getting rid of me and I had the opportunity to play for Sundowns, but Pirates came through first.
'If Chiefs came through the same period as Pirates, I was going to go to Chiefs. But I went to Pirates because of the love he gave me the first time I saw [Irvin Khoza].'
'I got the call from my manager (Jazzman Mahlakgane) on a Monday saying 'please come to Parktown', I get there and realised it was Pirates offices and met the chairman Dr Irvin Khoza.
'He sold me the story of why Orlando Pirates is Orlando Pirates, why and it is important to play for Pirates. It was an easy decision because I was not there to say no – it was an opportunity for me to play for a big team.'
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