KwaMashu's Thabo Cele dreams with a glint in his eyes

Passing matric shocked Thabo Cele more than signing a five-year contract with Portuguese giants Benfica after joining the roster of super-agent Jorge Mendes - whose clients include Cristiano Ronaldo and José Mourinho.

The 20-year-old from KwaMashu always believed that his talent would take him out of the Durban township in KwaZulu-Natal.

But he confesses that he didn't have the best of relationships with school.

That relationship took a turn for the worse when Cele returned to Vuyiswa Mtolo High School in 2013, to continue with his Grade 11 after he was kicked out of the Stars of Africa Academy in Johannesburg in the middle of the year.

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"The one question that I struggled with just after I returned home after three years there was, 'so when are you going back?'

"I didn't know what to say because I couldn't blurt out that I am not going back," Cele said. "They kept asking me, 'so when are you going back to Johannesburg?'

"I would say that I don't know. But as time went on, I could open up about the subject and not be emotional about it.

"I eventually told them that I didn't cut the grade there, that's why I was kicked out.

"They were very supportive and told me that with my talent I will go back there and maybe to bigger things."

That snub affected Cele so much that he failed Grade 11 that year. He eventually passed on the second attempt and matriculated in 2015.

"My heart and mind weren't there. I just did enough to pass. I even skipped school because football was the only thing that I thought about. I didn't bother buying the paper to see if I had passed matric.

"I didn't expect that I would pass. A lot of people said that I wouldn't pass because of how often I skipped school to play football. I did that even in matric. The problem is that I am a bit stubborn, so I didn't listen to anyone.

"I would lie and say that we were allowed to leave early at school. I would then sleep so that I go to training fresh. I realised later how much I was risking by doing that.

"It's something I regret. I couldn't believe it when my friends came to me and told me that I had passed. I went crazy."

His reaction was calmer when he heard that Benfica were interested in him.

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That move started to take shape after Benfica came up against Cele's Real Sport Clube in the last-16 of the Taça de Portugal, their version of the Nedbank Cup, on December 14 last year.

"People say that I played well in that game but I remember the mistakes I made," Cele said.

"We didn't get the ball much because we were playing against a strong team that is two divisions higher than us.

"We had to defend for most of the game. When I got the ball, I tried to showcase my talent and help the team as much as I could. We lost 3-0. They must have seen something because we started talking after that until I signed for them."

The first person he told after signing was his mother, Zodwa, a defiant figure who insisted that he finishes school.

He then told his former coaches from Induna Academy to KwaMashu All Stars and the KwaZulu-Natal Academy where he was spotted in the Durban Under-19 International Tournament.

Cele saw some of those coaches last month upon his return to the country before he linked up with the World Cup-bound South African Under-20 team.

Amajita head coach Thabo Senong, who named him in the21-man squad to go to South Korea, rates Cele highly.

"Being a KZN, KwaMashu boy, he doesn't have that submissive personality," Senong said. "He is assertive enough."

Cele's relationship with school has since improved. He is planning to attend one to study Portuguese.

Those lessons form part of his preparations for the next stage of his life, playing with the big boys as a Benfica player from next season.

"When I watch Benfica, I see that they are on another level," Cele said. "There is that realisation that I still have to work hard because things will get tougher.

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"But I have faith in my talent that I will make it there."

But before he joins Benfica, there is the not so small matter of the Under-20 World Cup.

Amajita kick off their campaign in two weeks against Japan, followed by a clash with Italy on May 24 and then Uruguay three days later in Group D.

That tournament will not only see Cele reunite with former Stars of Africa teammate Luther Singh, but it will also give him a chance to show South Africans who haven't seen him in action what the fuss around him is about.

"He is like a brother to me," Singh describes Cele. "We are the same age. We have been in the same class. We've been together for most of our young days before we got separated. I am happy meeting him now.

"I am happy for him and the success he's achieved. I am a proud brother, seeing the person I grew up with succeeding.

"I know that many people in the country haven't seen him play. He has a lot of quality and is very intelligent.

"He is just a maestro, a beast in midfield. He is someone to watch out for in this tournament."

sports@timesmedia.co.za