The dreamer who turned mockery into motivation

"EVEN when people mocked me, saying football was my girlfriend, I kept going because I knew what I wanted." When you speak to Aubrey Modiba, you don't just hear a footballer; you hear a man who understands what it means to chase a dream that, for many around him, once seemed impossible. His voice carries the calm confidence of someone who has walked through doubt, ridicule and rejection - and turned them into the rhythm of victory.

- MATSHELANE MAMABOLO

From the dusty fields of Mentz, just outside Polokwane in Limpopo, to the floodlights of Loftus Versfeld and the national pride of the Bafana Bafana jersey, Modiba's story is one of belief forged through hardship and hope. It's a tale that stretches far beyond football - a reflection of what it means to hold on when the world says "you can't."

The boy who refused to stop dreaming

Modiba's love for football began as early as he can remember. But in a community where dreams are often swallowed by circumstance, few believed that the shy young boy juggling a worn-out ball could ever become a national hero.

"For me, it is a bit emotional because I was a young boy from Limpopo where people feel there's no chance," he says softly.

"They tell you that you won't make it. But I've always known what I wanted to be. Football has been my passion since I was young, and I've put in the work from day one."

The work, he says, meant more than training - it meant sacrifice.

"Even when people mocked me, saying I 'don't have a girlfriend' or that 'football was my girlfriend,' I was not bothered because I knew what I wanted," he recalls with a hint of laughter. "I had a dream, and I was driven by it."

That drive would soon carry him beyond the expectations of his peers and into the ranks of South African football's elite.

Turning passion into purpose

Modiba's journey wasn't a fairy tale of overnight success. His story is paved with persistence - from the heartbreak of early rejections to the discipline that came with his first professional contract.

"As soon as I signed that contract, that's when I told myself: I want to play for one of the big teams, and I want to represent Bafana Bafana," he says. "I've always seen myself donning the Bafana jersey, and now with over 40 caps, I'm hoping to reach 50 and more."