Dolly’s advice to Magerman
Work hard and look after yourself off the field
BAFANA Bafana star midfielder Keagan Dolly has warned Grant Magerman about the dangers that come with the fame and fortune of donning the colours of Mamelodi Sundowns.
Dolly has walked the path that Magerman is about to embark on. Just like Dolly did in 2015, the 23-year-old, who has been on top of his game in the last three seasons, has also decided to leave Ajax Cape Town, at the end of this season, to join the Brazilians.
With this in mind, Dolly offered some sage advice to the up-and-coming midfielder.
“In terms of Grant, I had an opportunity to spend time with him when I was with the Under-23 in the Cosafa Cup camp in Durban (last year), and he is a good boy,” said Dolly.
“He is a very talented player. We spoke about Sundowns. All I told him was that in order to survive in Johannesburg, you have to go there with the plan.”
Dolly was a hit during his time with the Brazilians, even though he had previously come under criticism for his decision to join Sundowns. The Soweto Giants – Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates – were also interested in capturing his signature. But when he opted to go to Naturena, many thought it would be the end of his career. He defied those predictions, however.
He became vital to Sundowns, contributing immensely to their 2016
CAF Champions League triumph. And it was his exploits in that tournament which earned him his move to France, where he is currently on the books of Ligue 1 outfit Montpellier, a year later. Several injuries have stifled Dolly’s growth with La Paillade, however, and he has made only 10 appearances for the club since September 2018.
Nevertheless, Magerman will be hoping to emulate Dolly at Sundowns by making an impact at the club.
“You don’t have to follow the crowd. You don’t have to hang out with so-called big name players. I said to him, if you know what you want and if you want to succeed in a big team, be yourself,” Dolly continued.
For now Magerman still has unfinished business with Ajax. The Urban Warriors are at the summit of the Gladafrica Championship and before all sporting activities were brought to a halt due to the coronavirus pandemic, they were leading the first division by seven points – well on their way to winning the league and with it automatic promotion to the Absa Premiership. Magerman will be vital for the Urban Warriors in their pursuit to return to the elite league, after which he can truly start focusing on his upcoming Sundowns career.
“As I said, I told him not to follow the crowd, work hard and stay at home. That worked for me when I was at Sundowns. I had a relationship with Pitso (Mosimane) and he always told me that I have to look after myself off the field. I also told Grant the same thing,” Dolly concluded.