"I'm just glad that God gave me a second chance and I can't make the same mistake again," says Platinum Stars skipper Vuyo Mere.
The 32-year-old has attributed his consistency over the past few years to prayer and surrounding himself with the right people. He conceded that he was living an "unprofessional life" when he played for Mamelodi Sundowns between 2004 and 2011, but is now grateful for the turnaround.
"Credit should go to the man upstairs. God has been good to me," he told Sowetan yesterday.
"When you are at a big team like Sundowns, you get so many friends. We were winning games, winning the league and the money was coming left and right. I was always surrounded by soccer players and you know what happens when soccer players are together ... all hell break loose! I lived an unprofessional life.
"Most of the players who were playing for Sundowns then are struggling today, they are nowhere to be seen and you could ask yourself; what did we do with that money? We could have invested and maybe we could be somewhere today," he said.
Mere left Sundowns for Moroka Swallows on loan in 2011 and from there, he joined Platinum Stars. His permanent exit from Sundowns meant leaving behind a busy life in Johannesburg and at that stage, a move away to a more quiet place was what Mere needed.
"My life wasn't that straight, but I didn't realise it because I was young," he continued.
"Now I have a lovely wife with two kids ... I'm eating well and resting a lot. I can be able to analyse my game. I'm just glad that God gave me a second chance ... we always blame the media for exposing our lives, but if you live right you are not going to be in the papers for the wrong reasons."
Mere made his PSL debut for Hellenic as a 17-year-old on August 18 2001 against Black Leopards.
He now boasts 388 starts and 16 substitute appearances, which gives him a total of 404 PSL games over 15 years. Mere has won every trophy offered in domestic football and has 12 Bafana Bafana caps to his name.
Mere, meanwhile, believes Platinum Stars, who are third on the log after 23 matches, are doing well this season because they have a manageable squad. They finished 11th last season.
"We had about 45 players before coach Allan [Freese] left and it is difficult to work with so many players. When coach Cavin [Johnson] came, he trimmed the team to around 26, 27 players. The team is manageable," Mere reckoned.
So can "Dikwena" swim with the big sharks in the race for the league title?
"Nothing is impossible in football ... only God knows our destination," he concluded.
VUYO MERE FACT FILE
Full names: Vuyo Calvin Mere
Date of birth: March 5 1984
Place of birth: Heidedal, Bloemfontein
Position: Right-back
Club: Platinum Stars
Honours:
2005-06 and 2006-07 Absa Premiership champion
2007-08 SAA Supa8 champion
2007-08 Nedbank Cup champion
2013-14 MTN8 champion
2013-14 Telkom Knockout champion
12 Bafana Bafana caps and has also represented South Africa at Under-17 and Under-20 level.
Mere turns his life for the better
"I'm just glad that God gave me a second chance and I can't make the same mistake again," says Platinum Stars skipper Vuyo Mere.
The 32-year-old has attributed his consistency over the past few years to prayer and surrounding himself with the right people. He conceded that he was living an "unprofessional life" when he played for Mamelodi Sundowns between 2004 and 2011, but is now grateful for the turnaround.
"Credit should go to the man upstairs. God has been good to me," he told Sowetan yesterday.
"When you are at a big team like Sundowns, you get so many friends. We were winning games, winning the league and the money was coming left and right. I was always surrounded by soccer players and you know what happens when soccer players are together ... all hell break loose! I lived an unprofessional life.
"Most of the players who were playing for Sundowns then are struggling today, they are nowhere to be seen and you could ask yourself; what did we do with that money? We could have invested and maybe we could be somewhere today," he said.
Mere left Sundowns for Moroka Swallows on loan in 2011 and from there, he joined Platinum Stars. His permanent exit from Sundowns meant leaving behind a busy life in Johannesburg and at that stage, a move away to a more quiet place was what Mere needed.
"My life wasn't that straight, but I didn't realise it because I was young," he continued.
"Now I have a lovely wife with two kids ... I'm eating well and resting a lot. I can be able to analyse my game. I'm just glad that God gave me a second chance ... we always blame the media for exposing our lives, but if you live right you are not going to be in the papers for the wrong reasons."
Mere made his PSL debut for Hellenic as a 17-year-old on August 18 2001 against Black Leopards.
He now boasts 388 starts and 16 substitute appearances, which gives him a total of 404 PSL games over 15 years. Mere has won every trophy offered in domestic football and has 12 Bafana Bafana caps to his name.
Mere, meanwhile, believes Platinum Stars, who are third on the log after 23 matches, are doing well this season because they have a manageable squad. They finished 11th last season.
"We had about 45 players before coach Allan [Freese] left and it is difficult to work with so many players. When coach Cavin [Johnson] came, he trimmed the team to around 26, 27 players. The team is manageable," Mere reckoned.
So can "Dikwena" swim with the big sharks in the race for the league title?
"Nothing is impossible in football ... only God knows our destination," he concluded.
VUYO MERE FACT FILE
Full names: Vuyo Calvin Mere
Date of birth: March 5 1984
Place of birth: Heidedal, Bloemfontein
Position: Right-back
Club: Platinum Stars
Honours:
2005-06 and 2006-07 Absa Premiership champion
2007-08 SAA Supa8 champion
2007-08 Nedbank Cup champion
2013-14 MTN8 champion
2013-14 Telkom Knockout champion
12 Bafana Bafana caps and has also represented South Africa at Under-17 and Under-20 level.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Trending
Latest Videos