Polokwane City midfielder Edgar Manaka says he doesn't have to keep a low profile off the field, because of his humble approach to life.

"The most important thing we should know as soccer players is that you have to be humble and never ever label yourself as a celebrity," Manaka said.

"For me, football is just a phase and after every game, you go back to being like any other normal person. You go back to being Edgar Manaka and that's how life should be.

"You should always be respectful so that you can get back the respect. In the next two years, Edgar won't be there because there are so many Edgars that are coming up."

Speaking about his personal life, "Stiga" is clearly a man driven to succeed by his family.

"Well, I spend most of my [free] time with my girlfriend Kwanele Mabuza and daughter Thandekile," said Manaka, from Ga-Matlala, a village in the Sekhukhune district in Limpopo.

"I go away on vacations and try to relax, because not only is there pressure in football, but pressures from all angles like thinking about what are you going to do after football.

"While you are still playing, there's the issue of results and competition at a personal and team level, those types of things. So what I try to do when I get a weekend off, I go away with my family to invest time in them," said the man who likes TV reality shows and watching sports highlights.

"The other people who are very dear to me are my mother and younger sister. They've pushed me as I've come long in my career," said the 29-year-old.

Through the Edgar Manaka Foundation he hopes to inspire the youth to follow their dreams, but also to take care of the elderly.