Paulus Masehe enters hall of legends reaching magical 300-mark

There can be few players with as positive an outlook as Paulus Masehe‚ who will mark a 300th start in league and cup competition on Saturday when he captains high-riding Free State Stars at home to AmaZulu at Goble Park.

For the 34-year-old‚ who has also played at Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates‚ the development of the South African game is growing apace with each passing year‚ bringing new and added challenges.

And as he comes to the end of his career he is already looking forward to becoming a top-class coach.

“It is much tougher now. The level of preparation is so much higher‚ the study of opponents etcetera.

“The level of intelligence in our players has grown so much. Look at how Sundowns are playing – our players are on a different level.

“Their awareness of the space‚ how to receive the ball‚ those split-second decisions that change the outcome of the game – you see so much more of it in our game‚” he said in an exclusive interview with TIMESLive on Friday.

Masehe joins an elite club of players who have got to the 300-game mark‚ which does include substitute appearances or friendly matches.

“It feels so good to make the achievement. It is one of those humbling milestones that you will forever cherish for the rest of your life‚” he said.

The secret‚ he added‚ is hard work.

“Sometimes players tend to lose that love of the game and that desire to achieve more and to learn more each day.

“But once you decide that you want to learn from each and every coach‚ that you want to improve yourself each and every day‚ then it becomes the norm and you end up going on forever and forever.

“It becomes the only thing you want to do and you don’t realise how much you achieve through that.

“My appetite is the same as it was when I was starting out. I like to keep it like that.

“I want to keep my level of work as high as it can be and‚ in most cases‚ try and be as competitive as I can. Even in training you keep up that competitive attitude.

“A positive attitude becomes a norm and you want to win every day and achieve every day and get better and better.”

Masehe started as a junior at Stars but made his full debut exactly 15 years ago for Sundowns against Hellenic.

He had four-and-half seasons with the Brazilians‚ including winning the league title in the 2005-06 season‚ which he rates as the highlight of his career.

“Although I didn’t play much‚ the games that I played I think I contributed.”

The lowest point has been the various relegation battles fought with Stars.

“I think it was not through bad players or bad coaches that we were in those situations – it was just players didn’t take responsibility‚ didn’t take it seriously at that time.

“We had a bunch of players concentrating on mainly off-the-field rather than on-the-field stuff.”

Masehe returned to Stars in 2008 after one-and-a-half seasons at Pirates‚ when he has already enjoyed a fairly lengthy career‚ and remarkably is now in his 10th campaign with the Bethlehem-based club.

“I think I will play one more season after this. The thing is‚ it is not like I cannot play on; my body feels like it can go on and on but I feel I can contribute better from the sidelines.”

Masehe must be among the best South African players never to have won any international caps. He is not one to dwell to the fact that so lesser quality performers have since got to represent the country.

“When I had my best chance‚ there were a lot of good players. It was a strong generation.

“Yes‚ I had a good work ethic and a very positive attitude but I don’t think I was on the level of the better players‚” he said with refreshing frankness.

“But not playing for Bafana is not a big train smash at the end of the day.”

Will we see Masehe in a suit‚ barking orders from the dugout 10 years from now?

“Definitely!” is his response. “I feel I am already working towards it.

“I play the game so much more with my heart these days than with my legs.”