NOT SO LONG AGO, Mduduzi Shabalala was one of those young boys who roamed around the entrance of the FNB Stadium on Soweto Derby day hustling for tickets to get into the Calabash so they could watch Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs.
On the rare occasions that a good Samaritan obliged him, Shababala would sit in the stands starry-eyed as he cheered his beloved Buccaneers on while imagining himself on the pitch someday.
It is a dream of many youngsters the country over, particularly those from Soweto for whom the trip to the FNB Stadium is not that long.
Few though, get to live that dream and Shabalala sometimes has to pinch himself to ensure it is all happening.
Ahead of this afternoon’s Betway Premiership clash between the two giants, the young man from Senaoane Soweto spoke of how surreal it is for him to be getting ready to be a part of the biggest match in the country.
At the Soweto Theatre in Jabulani on Thursday, the Chiefs midfielder spoke to the media during a pre-conference and could not hide his delight at having had his dream come true.
That he is seen as due to play a key role in today’s match is evidenced by his being on the match poster alongside Pirates’ crowd favourite Relebohile Mofokeng.
“It makes me happy,” he said of being on the poster. “I’m a boy from Soweto and I’ve once dreamt of playing for Kaizer Chiefs and seeing myself on that poster - eish - it was unbelievable.
“Iyoo! As a boy from Soweto we grew up being delighted by the derby and on match day we would wake up very early in the morning and get on the 10am train to go to the stadium even though we did not have tickets.
“And now that my friends and my family will be going to the stadium to watch me makes me really happy.”
He only turned 21 on January 20 but he is already a key figure for a team as massive as Amakhosi. How does he feel about that?
“It means so much to me, making it in this team would be big because we all wish that in future we are remembered for great things like the Siphiwe Tshabalalas.”
Though already a fan favourite, at only 21 and in just his second full season in the elite league, ‘Mdu or Die’ knows he still has a long way to go to reach the levels scaled by the 2010 FIFA World Cup star in the famous gold and black of Amakhosi.
But he is working his way there, having already shown vast improvement in this campaign from the previous ones. And he puts it all down to him having more self belief now.
“Ja, I think it’s the confidence I have now, it's way better than the confidence I had before you know.
“And believing in yourself plays a big role in such a big team because you tend to not listen to what the people are saying about you and focus on yourself.
“And doing what you are supposed to be doing and for me this season is all about closing my ears (from the noise outside) and focusing on myself and what I am supposed to be doing.”
Chiefs fans will no doubt be expecting him to outshine Pirates’ Mofokeng, particularly with the duo being the match’s poster boys.
Shabalala does not, however, see the Buccaneers’ superstar as direct competition and is instead happy for the player he used to compete with in the Diski Challenge.
He acknowledges that the Pirates youngsters are doing way better than they are at Chiefs but would love to see himself and his teammates catching up.
“Not yet, I think the youngsters that are playing for Pirates are doing way better than us, not just here in South Africa but also on the continent.
“You could see how they play. I think they’ve gained a lot of experience at such an early age and with each and every game they are growing.
“I think it is for us to learn from them, not to be jealous or what but our time is coming. We just need to keep our heads up and work with the technical team and we will get to our potential and to our best.”
Today provides Shabalala and his crew an opportunity to show they are just as good as the Pirates youngsters in what has been roundly termed the Cocomelons derby because it is believed the players are young enough to still be watching the popular children’s cartoon show.
For Shabalala though, this match is proof to anyone that no dream is too big or unattainable.
After all he has made the journey from being a youngster asking for tickets at the FNB Stadium gates to being the one people pay to watch.