From the wilderness to a cup double: Pirates captain Maela was on the brink of calling it quits

Orlando Pirates captain Innocent Maela nearly quit football after years in "the wilderness" but his wildest dreams came true when he led the Buccaneers to the domestic cup double.

Maela spent more than four years on loan in the second-tier National First Division (NFD) from Pirates at Witbank Spurs and Thanda Royal Zulu before finally cracking it at his parent club.

It’s a journey that took the fullback to the brink of giving up on his footballing dream completely, but last weekend Maela completed an amazing career turnaround when he led the Sea Robbers to the Nedbank Cup.

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The victory over Sekhukhune United in the final at Loftus was their second trophy of the season after they won the MTN8 earlier in the campaign. Bucs also finished second behind Mamelodi Sundowns in the league, securing their CAF Champions League return.

But before he could count himself alongside Lucky Lekgwathi as one of the club captains to lead Pirates to more than one title in a season, Maela contemplated giving it all up.

"There was definitely a time when I thought I can’t make it," Maela said at Pirates’ victory celebration at their sponsors Vodacom’s headquarters on Monday.

"The season before my last season in the NFD, when we won it, we survived relegation on the last day. I remember having a conversation with my father and he said, if we ever got relegated from the NFD, then I’d have to come back home and go to school.

"Luckily we survived and the following season we won the league. And that’s how I rejoined Orlando Pirates.

"I had thoughts of quitting the game because I was stuck in the same division for so long, but thank you to God and His grace for not