Retired and former Bafana Bafana superstar Teko “Donadoni” Modise is giving advice to young and upcoming soccer stars via his position as one of the Nedbank Cup ambassadors.
Modise, together with Daine Klate, Stanton “Stiga” Fredericks and coach Pitso Mosimane are the ambassadors of the tournament that features clubs from the PSL and from the amateur ranks.
The former Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder lived a flashy life when he was still a top player in the PSL. Modise was undoubtedly the biggest star when he was turning out for the Buccaneers just before the 2010 World Cup.
He was known for his expensive taste in designer labels and also for driving top-of-the-range cars, including a snazzy Aston Martin sports car.
But he has had to downgrade that kind of lifestyle as soon as his career reached the twilight zone, and that is why he is the perfect former player to guide the players of today and tomorrow.
“I downgraded my lifestyle, and by that, I mean I scaled down on what I was spending. I got a smaller apartment, I sold three of the four cars I had and instead of blowing R50 000 on sneakers, I would just get one pair.
“But people started whispering that I no longer had money, and as a result I had just one friend left,” Modise explains through the Nedbank Cup ambassador programme.
“That’s why I was able to adjust to moving to Cape Town City – what I earned there compared to my salary at Mamelodi Sundowns was chalk and cheese.
“I was one of the highest earners at Sundowns and with bonuses, I could still survive when I joined a new club. I learnt the hard way.”
Now a businessman, football pundit and ex-player who has recently launched his own talent agency, Modise is better equipped to give financial guidance to emerging footballers.
But not even he thought he would have to downgrade his lifestyle after admittedly making terrible choices, like blowing R22 000 a month on an Aston Martin while still at Pirates.
As it turns out, this “lifestyle audit” on himself would prepare Modise for life after football, where the endorsement deals, as lucrative as they sound, are nowhere near the money he made at his peak.
In collaboration with Nedbank, Modise uses the Nedbank Cup as a platform to share his story on how the choices you make can have an impact on your life.
Cape Town City was to be his final club as a professional footballer, so when he eventually retired, Modise was more than equipped to tell the riches-to-rags stories that we so often hear and read about former players.
“I made a decision a few years ago that I don’t have to be this superstar that wear branded clothing and drive a certain car because that’s what people expect of me. To be honest, that came with playing for City, that move humbled me.
“I realised I didn’t have to prove anything to anyone, and that’s when I began to make smarter choices. Of course, the temptation is there, but I am comfortable with myself now,” he explains further.
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