Mamelodi Sundowns' Tashreeq Matthews was hesitant to return to South Africa after a spell in Europe, playing for Borussia Dortmund, FC Utrecht and three Swedish clubs, but when the Brazilians came knocking, it was difficult to turn them down.
Sundowns regularly compete for major titles such as the CAF Champions League, which they narrowly missed out on recently, losing the final to Pyramids FC.
They will also be the only team from sub-Saharan Africa at the FIFA Club World Cup this month.
Matthews will be reunited with Dortmund, where he played as a teenager, as they face Sundowns in Group F at 12pm EDT on June 21 (6pm CAT) at Cincinnati's TQL Stadium.
The 24-year-old told ESPN: "I was watching the draw and when I found out that we were playing against Dortmund, I was very excited.
"I have no bad blood or anything against Dortmund. I was treated top. I was very happy when I was there. People were nice to me; I had no bad experience with the club or anyone around there."
After a successful trial in 2018, Dortmund picked Matthews up from Ajax Cape Town's academy, where he had spent close to eight years, after he moved from neighbours Vasco da Gama aged 10.
Matthews told ESPN: "An experience that was shocking and emotional for me was when I got the move to Dortmund, because that was very big for me and it doesn't happen every day.
"I came back from the [South Africa U20] national team and then, my agent told me that I had to get my Visa done so that I could go back to Europe. I didn't know who the teams were until I got there. When I got to Europe, I found out that I was going to Dortmund to trial."
Matthews was mostly confined to the U19 team at Dortmund, but absorbed everything he could in the limited time he had in the first team setup. He never made a competitive appearance, as he found himself behind international stars.
The winger said: "I looked at them and I had to see what they do better than what I'm doing. I only looked at players that played in my position, which was Jadon Sancho, Christian Pulisic, and Marco Reus [who] they used in many positions.
"[Sancho and Pulisic] were the two that I was looking at, because they were the two closer to my age. They were the two that I was looking at, trying to see what I could do better to get closer to their level."
A rollercoaster journey through Europe
By his own admission, Matthews struggled to adapt quickly enough, tactically, to compete with Pulisic and Sancho for minutes. However, he still speaks in glowing terms about the club which gave him his first opportunity overseas.
He remembers Eredivisie club FC Utrecht, where he went on loan in 2019, less fondly: "I had a very bad experience there.
"I'd say my first day or second day in training with the [Jong Utrecht] coach; I'd just arrived and we did a drill. I'm still getting to know the players and the coach tells me... 'You won't play in my team.'
"I get a shock and I'm like: 'OK. I'm going to think about it. I'm here to train and to try to play and just carry on.' That made it very difficult for me."
He had another loan spell with Sweden's Helsingborgs in late 2019 before leaving Dortmund in January 2020. However, his first Allsvenskan experience turned sour as former Barcelona, Manchester United and Celtic striker Henrik Larsson left as head coach within two weeks after Matthews arrived.
His successor, former Aston Villa and Juventus defender Olof Mellberg, did not want to throw the youngster into the fire: "I got there and also didn't play a lot.
"The team was in a difficult position on the table and they actually brought me there to help, but at the end of the day, a new coach came.
"He was all about experienced players because of the position that the club was in. I tried my best; I did what I could, but at the end of the day, the coach just believed in experienced players."
After the winger left Dortmund, Sweden became his permanent home as he played for Varbergs BoIS and Sirius.
Reservations about returning home
Many South African players struggle to adapt to the lifestyle in Europe. Matthews, however, was happy to be away from home and the distractions which could come with it, despite his struggles on the pitch.
His neighbourhood in Cape Town, Hanover Park, has produced top football talent - ranging from Bafana Bafana's record goalscorer, Benni McCarthy, to Banyana Banyana head coach Desiree Ellis. It also carries a proud history as the community which started a 1980 boycott of schools in South Africa in protest against apartheid policies.
However, it is also in the grip of a gangsterism crisis. Not only in Hanover Park, but across the country, many South African working class football heroes squander their talent due to substance abuse as fame and fortune become too much to handle.
Matthews was happy to be away from any opportunity to fall down the same path: "I would say for most of the young boys here, the step to the first team is very difficult because of surrounding circumstances that South Africans or Africans are in.
"Then, you get the surroundings in Europe which, for me, are way easier to be around and not get influenced by things. I think it's easier to be a professional player if you are focused.
"If you know what you want as a footballer [and] if you know what you want to become; it's easier for you to make it in Europe because there are less distractions [on the road to becoming] the professional footballer that you want to be."
At first, he did not want to return to South Africa, but in his words, Sundowns - who just won an eighth successive Betway Premiership title - were the only club who could turn his head. In January 2024, they managed to persuade him to make the journey back to his country.
Matthews said: "To be honest, it was very difficult to [come] back home, because I initially wanted to stay in Europe - but for the club (Sirius), it was very difficult.
"In terms of making a January transfer, lots of teams don't want to spend a lot of money and Sundowns actually gave the correct amount for them to say 'yes'.
"I had a thought about it: I was also telling myself that if I came back to South Africa, I wouldn't go back to any other team but Sundowns because of playing in the CAF Champions League and always winning titles - that is what I didn't have when I was in Europe.
"Coming back to a team - for me, the best team in South Africa and one of the best in Africa - coming back, winning titles, playing in the Champions League and also trying to get a step closer to the national team and going to the Club World Cup again - that played a big factor in my decision that I made to come back."
Dortmund aside, Sundowns will face South Korea's Ulsan HD on June 17 (6pm EDT and midnight the following day in South Africa) the and Brazil's Fluminense on June 25 (3pm EDT, 9pm CAT) as Masandawana chase a top-two Group F finish which would see them qualify for the knockout rounds.
It may not be the way he envisioned getting his opportunity to make history on the pitch with Dortmund, but a dream deferred for Matthews is not a dream denied.