‘Ramagalela never had money, I earned R2500’ ex-Sundowns star
‘Ramagalela never had money, I earned R2500’ ex-Sundowns star
Former Mamelodi Sundowns and Black Leopards striker Rodney Ramagalela revealed he never made much money during his playing days.
The 35-year-old has been clubless for a season since leaving the University of Pretoria last year. Speaking to Andile Ncube on Sports Night Amplified, the former PSL forward said he lost everything when his house was gutted by a fire in 2021.
“Before that, my mom passed on in 2019 and that’s the same year my daughter passed on also. She was burned by fire, I was told,” said the former Mamelodi Sundowns striker.
“I don’t know what happened, but I was told after she passed on. You can tell that there were so many things going on but as a human being, I didn’t see it because I didn’t understand what was going on.”
Former Sundowns striker Ramagalela reveals he is now broke
“Ramagalela never had money, when i was playing. When I started playing for Leopards in the NFD, I was earning R2500 per month. I never had money. There were five children, my mom and my blind father and we all had to survive with my salary,” he added.
“You can’t really survive with that but because you’re taught to survive with what you have, you need to make it work.”
After impressing with Black leopards, Ramagalela moved to Sundowns in 2013. He claims he did not make much money with the Brazilians but still managed to start businesses on the side.
“I never made a million during my Mamelodi Sundowns days,” he said. I was pushing a few projects on the side. Had a delivery truck that was operating between Johannesburg and Zimbabwe. The truck was involved in an accident and beyond repair. The other construction business never took off, ” said Ramagalela.
When asked if he was making money, the former Polokwane City star said he was relying on his sister
“At this point, I am not making any money. My sister is doing her best to put food on the table but it’s not enough, we try to make it work,” he added.
RamaG has not officially retired from football
Although the ex-Sundowns man hasn’t officially retired, Ramagalela has found it tough to find a team.
“I have told my representatives to knock on doors and the response I got from my representatives was that teams are looking for younger players to play for them,” said ex-AmaTuks player.
“I feel like it doesn’t matter what I try, it works for a short while and then it fails.”
Having moved back to his village, the 35-year-old now trains youngsters.
“I train young players back here at home right now, it keeps me busy. I am not getting paid for this, but I want to help the youngsters get things right,” said former Sundowns striker Rodney Ramagalela.