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Playing in the English Premier League is the ultimate dream for most professional and aspiring footballers, but only a few get to make that a reality, and Bafana Bafana midfielder Kamohelo Mokotjo came within months thereof.
After renouncing his South African citizenship to obtain a Dutch passport – much to the aversion of the local football fraternity at the time – Mokotjo was able to join then-Championship side Brentford from Eredivisie outfit PEC Zwolle in 2017.
After seeing out his three-year contract, at 29 years old, he moved to FC Cincinnati in the less-fancied MLS and saw his former side earn promotion to the elite league back in England just a couple of months later, while his stay in the US was later cut short.
However, Mokotjo – now back home in the Premier Soccer League – insists he has no regrets.
"I look back but I do not regret anything because I had my issues then. A lot of the internal stuff is not known by the media. I had my injuries, so you know the club has to then decide because, at the end of the day, they're a business. Certain people wanted to keep me, and certain people were like, ''This may not be a good investment' because the injuries that I had accumulated at that time," he said.
Despite the circumstances surrounding his departure from The Bees, who remain stable in the Premier League, the now 32-year-old looks back fondly on his time in West London.
"I left on a very good note. There was no bad blood or whatever. It was like family to me but really, I think the best period of my footballing career," he added.
Stringing together a number of eye-catching performances for Babina Noko now, Mokotjo has not resigned to ending his career in his homeland and believes a move back to Europe is not out of the question.
"If I stay in shape, stay healthy, keep working hard and keep setting standards, anything can happen. The only thing I can do for myself is to stay ready," he concluded.
