South Africa winger Mohau Nkota has rapidly found his feet at Al-Ettifaq, thanks to the help of Saudi Pro League peers including team captain Georginio Wijnaldum, and also because he is no stranger to big moves and upheaval.
When Nkota moved from Kimberley to join South African Premiership giants Orlando Pirates around four years ago, still in his mid-teens, he battled homesickness, but through a period of rapid change in a short space of time, he shot up to the first team.
He leaned on star teammate Relebohile Mofokeng -- among others -- to help him regain the confidence he had at Dalton Brothers, his childhood team in Kimberley in the dry, hot Northern Cape.
Nkota told ESPN of his South Africa international teammate's help at the time: "He [Mofokeng] was one of those guys - we shared the same room in the camp, so we used to talk.
"He used to tell me: 'Don't be scared. Do anything you want to do. This is the first team... We all play; we all work [together], so if you make a mistake - if you lose the ball - it's fine. We'll get it back. Just do your thing. Don't be scared of these guys and what they say. Just do your thing and close your ears and you will see.'
"He helped me a lot - especially in the first team when I arrived there. When I was promoted, he helped me a lot with everything. He said I just need to talk and I mustn't be scared because we played together.
"Even the other guys [at Pirates] told me the same," he added, crediting former Pirates reserve coach Mandla Qhogi as another key figure who helped him find mental fortitude.
The Saudi move has been a breeze, comparatively. Nkota - still only 20 years old, with his birthday around the corner in November - has been one of Ettifaq's best players this season.
He has looked at home among some of the world's most recognisable players, scoring in his Saudi Pro League debut - a 2-1 win over Al-Kholood - before a goal against Lesotho in South Africa's 3-0 win.
Nkota followed that up with more outstanding performances in a 1-1 draw with Nigeria and a 0-0 draw with Al Ahli. Even in the 4-1 loss to Al-Taawoun, his performance was one of few causes for optimism, and he followed up with a strong display off the bench in a penalty shootout defeat to Al Batin in the Kings Cup of Champions.
There are still rare moments when he feels starstruck. One was when he saw a picture of team captain Georginio Wijnaldum with Neymar, Kylian Mbappé and his own idol, Lionel Messi. However, the advice which Wijnaldum gave him was reminiscent of the very same lessons he had learned at Pirates alongside Mofokeng.
"I once asked him - because I saw a picture of him, Messi, Mbappé, Neymar - I asked him: 'What was it like to play with this guy (Messi)?,'" Nkota recalled.
"[Wijnaldum] said to me: 'Bro, I played at Liverpool, PSG. For me, it was just [about] going to play there and the discipline. People might talk, but just do your job and you'll see [how far you can go].' He's a really good guy."
Al Ettifaq's Mohau Nkota speaks about his conversations with Georginio Wijnaldum about playing in Europe.
Long before Saudi, there was Kimberley
To the coach who unearthed Nkota in the famous diamond mining city where he grew up, his rise has been no surprise. Petrus Motseki Mohapi lived near Nkota in Kimberley, and spotted him kicking a ball in his garden around the age of five.
"His house is just in front of my house, so I used to see him inside his yard just kicking a ball and then, I noticed something special from there onwards. We recruited him at an early age - I think he was five years old," Mohapi told ESPN.
"I took it upon myself to take him to our team, so that we could start playing for our team in our development ranks. We have a Local Football Association in Kimberley that used to host under-9 tournaments, so from there onwards, we started to mould him and we started slowly, but surely, to guide him to understand the fundamental basics of the game."
Mohapi - known to Nkota and the Kimberley community as "Coach Papi" - is a shareholder in Dalton Brothers and also coaches them. The first team plays in the HollywoodBets Regional League.
Nkota played for Dalton Brothers from under-9 level, and although there were whispers that his prodigious talent had caught the eye of Orlando Pirates from a young age, it took a trial before they finally brought him into their development structures.
In the Pirates reserve team, he played for club legend Joseph 'Duku Duku' Makhanya, who recently departed as DStv Diski Challenge head coach. In Makhanya's eyes, Nkota was an outgoing person, but did not yet navigate the football world with quite the same ease and confidence as his teammate, Mofokeng.
Makhanya told ESPN: "Mohau is that kid who is out there, who seeks a bit of attention... whereas Rele is quite reserved [but] was celebrated at a very early age, but is not phased by the celebration [of his talents] that is happening around him.
"Mohau is quite free-spirited... I felt that they balanced each other out in terms of that. Mohau is the kid that wants to dance, he wants to sing, whereas Rele is the opposite.
"One thing about them: they are good trainers. You will never fight with them in terms of effort. They will always give you 100%, which is enough for young players who want to make it in football."
Mofokeng was from Vereeniging - within an hour's drive from Orlando Pirates' facilities. His father played football and his mother understood the game well enough to spot his talent.
Nkota has always shared a deep bond with his mother, but she did not grow up in the football world. Indeed, when Nkota broke his hand in a cycling accident in his early adolescence, his mother blamed football and tried to ban him from playing. Initially, he snuck out to continue, before Mohapi eventually intervened.
"I remember last when I was home, my mom cried and she was like: 'I never thought you were going to reach here.' I even reminded her about the accident that happened when I was in Grade 7," Nkota said.
"I asked her: 'Do you remember when I broke my hand and you said to me that I must leave soccer, and I told you it was not soccer?'... I went home and I kept quiet. I only told my mom in the morning when I felt the pain. My mom was like: 'Your hand is broken.'"
Kimberley was Nkota's playground, but ultimately, he knew there were few opportunities there. The capital city of the Northern Cape has been in decline since Nkota's childhood due largely to local and national challenges in the mining sector - off which Kimberley thrives - and governance issues.
In football terms, Mohapi insists that Kimberley continues to produce the very best. The evidence is in Kimberley-born stars across several generations. Past heroes include Peter Hauser, Jimmy Tau, Joseph and Richard Henyekane, and Norman Smith.
Thato Mokeke and Surprise Ralani appear to be in the twilight of their careers, but the same cannot be said of Nkota, Thibang Phete, and former Chelsea triallist Emile Witbooi - who is Ralani's son.
However, not all talented footballers from Kimberley are given opportunities to shine. Nkota's older brother was one of many who had respect in the community, but never made it to the top.
Opportunities beyond the football pitch are even more scarce in Kimberley. Nkota and Mohapi - a former ward councillor who is currently without work apart from his Dalton Brothers duties - are two of many who believe that the Northern Cape is losing its war against substance abuse.
Out of the Big Hole to the Big City
With that in mind, Nkota had to make the jump when the opportunity came to join Pirates.
Far from the community that raised him, Nkota struggled to find his feet initially in Johannesburg. When he began to stand out for the Pirates reserve team, he was hesitant to take the step up to the first team. It took encouragement from Makhanya and his fellow coaches to let Nkota know that he was ready.
Nkota explained: "Coach Mandla [Ncikazi] - the [first team] assistant coach would come to our [reserve team] training sessions. He'd come to chat with me and tell me I must keep doing better, because I'd be scoring, creating and assisting.
"I was one of the main wingers. When Rele left [for the first team], I was now the target man to help the [reserve] team get a trophy. Unfortunately, we didn't, but I was also working to go up to the first team.
"Coach Duku was pushing me. He was telling me: 'You have to push yourself, because it's your time to go up now. You can see all the players are going and you can't stay here. If you stay here, then it's going to end up with you getting loaned out. You must push up to the first team and play there. Don't get loaned. Play.'"
Under José Riveiro - now departed as head coach - Nkota made the jump last year. Ultimately, he hit the ground running. In 39 appearances for Orlando Pirates' first team across all competitions, he scored seven goals and assisted five.
Four of his goals came in the CAF Champions League - a competition which Nkota credits for preparing him to come up against top quality fullbacks in the Saudi Pro League and national team. The last of Nkota's Champions League goals came in a 3-2 loss to eventual champions Pyramids, which saw Pirates eliminated in the semi-finals.
Pulling on the Orlando Pirates jersey brought a level of attention to Nkota which he was not used to. This was exemplified in his guest appearance at a tournament organised by Makhanya -- alongside Mofokeng and Kaizer Chiefs' Mfundo Vilakazi: "It's something different when you go with people [in the public eye as a Pirates player].
"They were around where we were sitting - small boys, they were [gathered nearby], all of them, and they were never watching the game again. They [were only focused on] us, and we only came to hand out the medals. When we were about to leave, it was something else."
Nkota's move to Al-Ettifaq and form for the national team have only seen his stock rise, and if he achieves his dream move to Europe, he is likely to attract more attention still.
"For me, this move was to prepare myself for my upcoming future in my career," Nkota said.
However, Makhanya and Mohapi describe him as someone who stays in contact with the people who helped him to the top and never truly changes at heart. Grounded he may be, but it is becoming increasingly evident that for the young gem from the Diamond City, the sky is the limit.
The Saudi Pro League airs on ESPN's channels in Africa (SuperSport 218 and 219), and from Oct. 2 live on Disney+ for customers in South Africa.