Amajita star Maraisane seals Swede deal
|Published
Pule Maraisane of Amajita has signed a lucrative deal with a Swedish club and is hoping to impress top European clubs. Pule Maraisane of Amajita has signed a lucrative deal with a Swedish club and is hoping to impress top European clubs.
Playing in Europe has always been a dream for South Africa’s national U-20 (Amajita’s) attacking midfielder Pule Maraisane. But he concedes he never thought it would happen so quickly.
Maraisane has penned down a one-year deal with Sweden-based club Göteborgs Atlet-och Idrottssällskap (GAIS) with an option to renew, after having spent eight months playing in Portugal for third division side Tourizense FC.
The Swedish sight signed him after he put on a splendid performance for Amajita in the Russian Commonwealth Cup in Saint Petersburg three months ago, which saw him scoop the Striker of the Tournament awardy.
“They have been watching me for a while now,” he says.
“They approached my coach and agent while I was in Portugal and told them they were interested.
“It was after my participation in the Russian Commonwealth tournament that they sealed the deal with an option to sign for another year.
“The move is a perfect opportunity for me to explore other countries and grow as a player.
“However, I was happy in Portugal, I loved it there. Who knows? Maybe one day I might end up playing for an English (Premier League) side next season.
“That’s my goal. I want to see myself playing in the Champions League.”
But there were times when Maraisane’s goal of becoming a professional footballer seemed too farfetched.
In his third year with Farouk Khan’s Star of Africa Academy, the Soweto-born attacking midfielder sustained an injury on both knees, which put him out of the game for two years.
At the time, Maraisane felt like giving up on his dream.
His knees would swell up for no reason after training or playing a match. He was only 16 at the time. Some medical practitioners he had consulted said they had no idea what was wrong with him.
Maraisane felt shattered.
“My knees would swell up for no reason,” he says.
“Experts said it had something to do with growth in my knees. I went to some of the best physiotherapists in the country including Kaizer Chiefs’ David Milner to diagnose the problem.
“I thought my career was over before it had even started.
“At the academy (Stars of Africa), if a player gets injured for as long as eight months, they release him. But in my case, he (Farouk Khan) didn’t.
“He saw something special in me and told me to relax. He said he was going to work something out to help me.
“We went to (Rio de Janeiro) Brazil to have my knees checked by a physio-practitioner. Former Bafana Bafana physical trainer Chicco Gonzalez treated me.”
It took seven injections and two days of not putting pressure on his knees that started his journey to recovery.
Eight months later, the midfielder was back on the field doing what he loves most, and that was to weave past opposition defences while trying to make up lost time spent recovering.
After training for three months with Brazil’s professional side Fluminense FC, Maraisane was called up for the national U-20 squad for the Cosafa Cup in Lesotho.
Maraisane hasn’t looked back since.
On the contrary, he has cemented his place in the Amajita side.
Maraisane was also part of the Amajita squad that qualified for the U-20 Youth Championships in Senegal a month ago.
All this time, the driving force behind Maraisane’s performance was to make his mom proud.
Mother and son have become closer after Maraisane’s dad past away nine years ago.
The creative midfielder says his mother has been a pillar of strength.
“Growing up, I was not that close to my mom.
“I lived with my dad and every now and then I would pay my mom a visit in (Rockville) Soweto.
“His passing had a negative effect on me. I was 11 at the time. And when my grandparents broke the news to me, I didn’t know how to handle the situation.
“It affected my schooling and as a result I had to go for counselling to deal with the trauma. Two years later, I joined the (Stars of Africa) academy and the motivation behind my performance has been to make him (my late dad) proud.
“I communicate with my mom all the time,” he adds.
“When I was in Portugal she would call me and encourage me to focus on my game, or sometimes just to check on me.
“Not speaking the (Portuguese) language was an excuse but she would encourage me to learn (the language). And that’s how I got to enjoy myself there (in Tourizense FC). Learning the (basics of the) language really helped.”
Maraisane will have to forget about being fluent in Portuguese now that he’s in Sweden and learn to speak the language there.
These are some of the challenges Maraisane says he will face if he is to see himself realise his dream of playing for a big club in Europe.
“I want to play in the Uefa Champions League, that’s my dream. I’ll have to continue working hard until another big club are interested in me. People are glued to the TV on Champions League nights.
“I am aware that you’ll have to adapt to a whole lot of things once you get here. The language, tactics are different. For example, if you are a dribbler, you’d have to change your style of play to adapt to what the coach wants.” – The Sunday Independent