The word legend get thrown away casually these days, some players are cult heros but get the tag legend, someone deserving to be called a legend is Vuyo Mere.
Longevity is something that is rare in South African football, we have seen players come and go, some who had immense potential to go on and be greats. Reality is, if you do not take care of football then it will not take care of you. Vuyo Mere has nurtured football and to a certain extent it has done the same for him too.
A footballer to many, but to his close ones he's a husband, son, father, brother, friend and a believer in God. Throughout his career Vuyo Mere has seen the hand of God, through the ups and downs, his faith has carried him in his illustrious career.
"No one can take credit [for career] but God. He blessed me with great parents, coaches, family and mostly a heart willing to survive. Without my God none of these things would be possible," said Mere.
Mere has had a career that has warranted him to be a Premier Soccer League era legend, playing for some of the best teams in the country, having countless games under his belt and having a couple of trophies including league titles and domestic trophies. From playing for his fathers team to the top level, that is something the man from Bloemfontein imagined in childhood when he was playing the game in avoidance of household duties.
"Truly speaking I did not see myself as a professional footballer. I just played for fun and I just wanted to run away from doing house chores at home. My dad owned a team and he always said to me that he wanted to take the kids in our neighborhood off the streets and help them stay away from all the negative things life threw at us. So I actually was not aware of the fact I could make a living out of football. Funny enough we had a professional team in Bloemfontein but I never saw myself there until the later stage of my youth," said Mere.
Unfortunately Mere did not turn up for his hometown club, he would get an opening at Hellenic. You know the phrase "Things Fall Apart" from author Chinua Achebe's book or, hip hop group The Roots album title, well Hellenic FC echoed the same sentiments, literally. When things were falling apart at Hellenic, a young Vuyo Mere was in limbos, but the hand of God would be evident, securing the then youngster a move to one of the country's biggest teams, Mamelodi Sundowns.He would grab the opportunity at hand by a choke hold and go on to be a vital part of a very successful Mamelodi Sundowns team.
"Mamelodi Sundowns, the turn around in my career. Just when I thought my career was finished at Hellenic after the team had just been sold; there was my God at it again, placing me in a place where every footballer, if not all, wants see themselves. My time at Mamelodi Sundowns was just amazing, playing with the big name players and getting all the exposure was just out of this world. I became a household name because of playing with the greats of the game. We won trophies and that just built my confidence, I really felt like one of SA’s best players. Started representing my country whilst at Sundowns, so that has to be the most exciting time of my career," said Mere.
The team that won back to back league titles in the 05/06 - 06/07 seasons is remembered as one of the best in the Premier Soccer League era. It had the likes of Surprise Moriri, Godfrey Sapula, Esrom Nyandoro, and many more. Vuyo Mere was integral to that success, and the process to achieving that feat is something he remembers vividly.
"Winning back to back league titles was just a blessing from God. We were blessed with a great President in Mr. Motsepe and he invested a lot of money in the team and he assembled the greatest team in our era then. We had great pre season training schedule which saw us compete with the likes of Boca Juniors, Tottenham and Real Sociedad. That was a great foundation for the upcoming seasons which we won the double league titles. We were like a family even off the field. It was just an amazing time. It was difficult to compete in the league but because we believed in ourselves and understood the President’s vision for the club, he was willing to give us money just to see the team succeed and we did just that," said Mere.
Now at the height of his career peaking, one of the best in his position, the national team, Bafana Bafana would be the next step for Vuyo Mere in his career. Many young footballers dream of representing their country as it is a huge honour. Representing Bafana Bafana was a proud moment for Vuyo Mere and his family.
"That is one of the proudest moments in my career, I remember playing my first match for Bafana Bafana, my dad flew up from Bloemfontein to Johannesburg to come watch me play. He told me about all the compliments he got when people spoke to him. I had made my family proud, I will always thank God for that. I was playing my best football at that time, for club and country, but having to get to rub shoulders with the internationals, I mean players who played in England, Spain, Greece and Russia, the experience was just out of this world. I remember playing alongside Benni McCarthy, Macbeth Sibaya, Aaron Mokoena, Bradley Carnell, Sibusiso Zuma, Steven Pienaar, etc. That was when I realised that I can even go further in my career and make my family prouder," said Mere.
After years at Mamelodi Sundowns, Vuyo Mere would be released. Now a free agent in the wilderness, well the hand of God would push him to Platinum Stars in the North West. Vuyo Mere revived his career and went on to peak again, enjoying a successful spell at Dikwena.
"Before my spell at Dikwena, I remember being released by Mamelodi Sundowns and I was clubless for about three months, which in my opinion now was a blessing in disguise. So when I got there I had to undergo a trial period in order to secure a deal, so I had to work my butt off to land a contract. I could not be arrogant or be full of myself, I was not from Sundowns anymore, I was from home. When I was given a chance to play football again I could not stop praising and thanking God for a second chance. I did some introspection and I knew I could not do the same mistakes that saw me being released by Downs. I enjoyed my football again and I never looked back, I went on to lead the team for so many seasons and in the process winning two trophies. The best time yet again in my career.
There was God again proving that I am capable of achieving anything through Him. We had what many would call an average team but the talent and belief in that team was just out of this world. We had one of the best facilities in the continent and we put them to good use and as you know the saying goes that if you work hard, pray hard, believe enough and have your Faith as big as a mustard seed then something has to give, we had two trophies to show for it," said Mere.
De javu, do you believe in it? Well, for Vuyo Mere he must have believed in it when things were falling apart at Platinum Stars and it was having administrative change, history was repeating its self, it was the nightmare of Hellenic all over again. Everyone who watched Platinum Stars knew Vuyo Mere adored the club and to see the wheels coming off crippled Mere and many.
"The family environment of the Dikwena family, was amazing. I always looked up to waking up and going to training at Platinum Stars. When you go to work it was not just about work, the personalities we had in the team were just amazing and the people of Rustenburg made us feel like we belonged there and treated us with respect and I can only thank them for their hospitality and warm treatment they gave us.
When we heard about the team being sold I was personally disturbed because I had planned to retire at Dikwena and work for the team beyond my playing days. I was in discussions with Mr. Cliff Ramoroa the Chairman of the team at the time who mentioned something about me being involved in the development structures of the team; I was ecstatic because I knew my future was secured. I was really heartbroken when the team was finally sold, we lost many players and staff members who were there for long a time. My future was just collapsing in front of me, but I believed that everything happened for a reason," said Mere.
Platinum Stars persihsed but Vuyo Mere's stay in the Absa Premiership would continue, this time the hand of God steered him to Bidvest Wits. Gavin Hunt acquired the services of the veteran and managed to get the best of him. Things at the end did not work and Vuyo Mere was released and underwent a testing period in his career as he had no club for sometime.
"There I was again being blessed with another professional team after my setback at Dikwena, I was part of the Bidvest Wits team that obviously is always blessed with many talented names, I considered myself very lucky to be part of Coach Gavin’s team. It was always going to be hard to cement my place in the team because they had great defenders. I worked hard and finally got my chance to play and I never disappointed, I did my best every time I was given a chance. To be honest I really thought the team would re-new my contract but it was not to be. I had the best time at Wits, had great interactions with everyone in the team and many were surprised I was released, but I did not have bad feelings towards anyone because thats the nature of the game, so I had to move on.
I struggled again for a few months to find a team, which was the most difficult time of my career, those were some tough times. That is when things get real, you start noticing small things like who is there for you and who is not. You just become paranoid. I thought to myself that it was all done for me when I was released by Wits because no one even wanted to give me a trial, it was heart breaking. Yes I knew at some point things will be bad but not that bad. I was just worried about my kids, mom, brother and my wife because those are the people who are mostly proud of me, having to disappoint them was just a torture. I could not sleep at night and I lost weight but they all believed in me.
My brother Sipho would say "you are too blessed to be without a job, hang in there an something will come up," those words remained in my head and they made me even more appreciative of my brother, love him to the fullest," said Mere.
Indeed his brothers words came to life, the hand of God pushed Vuyo Mere to Moroka Swallows to help with the resurrection of the Dube Birds. Vuyo Mere is one of the senior players at the clun and goes about providing guidance to the youngsters at Moroka Swallows.
"I really don't know how to thank my President, Mr. Panyaza Lesufi and my Chairman Mr. David Mogashoa for giving me yet another lifeline. When no one wanted to open the door for me they came to my rescue and gave me a home. I can't really say thank you enough to them. The only way to thank them is to give back and play my best football to get the team back into the PSL. We have a great team and a great technical team, the spirit in the team is just amazing.
I really want thank my Captain Lebogang Mokoena for convincing Coach Zeca Marques to give me a chance to play again when no one wanted to give a chance. I grabbed the opportunity with both hands and I pray to God that He blesses our hustle and give us the strength to gain promotion.
We have lots of youngsters and its my duty to guide them, to allow them to enjoy their football. We have a few senior guys in the team and they are all great players. We always share our stories just to motivate the young ones and make sure that they are always on the right path. I am having the time of my life at Swallows and credit again must go to Coach Brandon Trutter. He is an amazing coach who is supposed to be coaching in the higher leagues and its a pleasure working with him and his team," said Mere.
Vuyo Mere has been in football for a very long time, seen it all, ups and downs and he has learnt so many things from the game.
"I have learnt so many things in footbal and some they just go hand in hand with life in general; 1: is to always be humble no matter your position or situation in life; 2: always appreciate what you have because it can be taken away in a wink of an eye; 3: always thank God with everything you have and don't have because God knows whats good for you; 4:Never disrespect the game in anyway because it will humble you in a bad way; 5: You need to save so much money from football to help you during the dark days of unemployment because its certain that it will happen. I have travelled so much because of the game and learnt about so many cultures that I did not even think I would encounter," said Mere.
In his career Vuyo Mere has always had the backing of his family. They have experienced his footballing career with him, all the trails and tribulations and pleasures they have shared with him.
"My Family has been with me since day one, they have been everything to me, I mean everything. I really do not want to see them disappointed at all. After losing a match or having a bad game I always think for them because people will always say bad things about me and I some times wish I could be there with them so that the insults can come to me. My mom is acting as both my mom and dad now, shes just been amazing and I thank God for her happy soul. She is my number one supporter and my brother also is always in my corner, my wife and kids. I really don't know what I would be without them," said Mere.
When all is said and done, when Vuyo Mere hangs up his boots, he will be dubbed a legend, one of the best from his generation. What the future holds for the man from Bloemfontein, only God knows, surely his hand will have to keep him in football.
"Its very difficult to predict the future, if it was my will I would want to continue in the game, giving back my years of experience to the young ones. Football is everything to me, I don't see myself doing anything else but once again life will humble you, so I better broaden my vision and look for all the options that can help me sustain my family after my playing days" concluded Mere.
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