Wayne Arendse during Mamelodi Sundowns' training session (Ryan Wilkisky/BackpagePix)
May 16, 2018, will certainly go down as one of the best moments for Mamelodi Sundowns players who were part of the team that faced global powerhouse FC Barcelona at the FNB Stadium where the Spanish giants shipped three goals past Masandawana and Sibusiso Vilakazi netted the consolation goal.
At the very end of it, the spotlight was hogged by Arendse when he exchanged jerseys with the Argentine maestro. It was a picture-perfect moment as both players were donning the captain’s armband as Andres Iniesta and Hlompho Kekana, who started the match as respective captains, had been substituted off.
Now, almost two years later, Messi’s jersey still hangs in Arendse’s wardrobe – surely without the stink – and this is because of Arendse’s fear that the framesman might just replace the original famous No.10 jersey with a replica.
“It is still hanging but I definitely want to frame it. I was making an appointment to frame it and I want the guy to frame it and he must do it at my home,” Arendse exclusively told Phakaaathi.
“But the guy says I must bring the jersey and he will frame it by his workplace and I said ‘No, you must do it here, how do I know if you are going to put the same jersey there’. I said, ‘No my friend, I can’t let that jersey out of my sight’. He said he is going to come.”
The veteran defender relived the moment when he asked Messi for his jersey, explaining that he did not strategically manoeuvre close to the Argentina national team captain when he could see that the fat lady was on her feet, setting up her microphone and ready to sing.
“It is not like I was looking for who I would swap jerseys with. When the final whistle went, I did not know where I was, I just looked to my right and I saw Messi. The game was done and I just walked to my right and I saw Messi and I asked if we could change jerseys and he obliged and he said no problem.
“It was a special moment for me because I did not think about it that time but when I had the jersey I saw people taking pictures and said ‘ja, I am taking the best player in the world’s jersey’. It was a big thing and my son was there and he took photos with him. It was one of those moments that I will never forget.”
Arendse continued: “When he came on he got the captain’s armband and when Kekana went off I got the captain’s armband and I think faith put it out like that that the two captains exchanges jerseys. That moment is priceless and thanks to the president of the club (Patrice Motsepe) for making it happen because he always wants to see us competing with the best.
“I was the only one who played 90 minutes because the coach (Pitso Mosimane) wanted to give the whole squad a chance to play against Barcelona and I was the fortunate one to play the full game. It is a moment I will never forget, it is in the archives, I have the photos, the videos and the jersey just to put up and one day show my children when they are a bit older.”
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