It may as well be Bleak Friday for Saffers because only the Yanks know how to Black Friday!

I thought I had the dopest football collection in Mzantsi. But that was until I met the legendary Rashid Cassim on a little detour on my way to Pretoria a fortnight ago, writes Gasant Abarder.

Abarder, who recently launched his book, Hack with a Grenade, is among the country’s most influential media voices. Catch his weekly column here, exclusive to Cape {town} Etc.

This little part of Joburg is nowadays off the beaten track but it led me to a collectors’ holy grail: the greatest pair of football boots ever made!

My story is a large detour about Black Friday. In South Africa, it’s a bit of a joke. My best deal so far was stocking up on jars of Jacob’s Coffee on Black Friday last year. I still have two jars left.

But across these shores, Black Friday sales are something else as I would soon discover.

Now let me tell you about my collection. I have in excess of 60 Manchester United shirts, half a dozen Orlando Pirates shirts and an assortment of shirts from around the world. Friends who visit foreign cities often bring a kit to add to my collection.

It is a collection so large it has broken a shelf. Most of it now resides in my man cave – the single garage I converted into my little escape from the world during lockdown. It is geared for 95% play and 5% work.

Picture: Adidas Predators / Gasant Abarder

Of course, each shirt has a story. The more retro, the less likely it will be worn. My supplier, @allkittedup_ on Instagram, can source any shirt you’re looking for. There is also an assortment of tracksuits, training kits, scarves and caps.

Lately, I’ve developed a fetish for football boots. It has Mrs Abarder on edge because I‘m after the rare variety of boots and they don’t come cheap.

In 2005, I purchased a pair of black, red and white that ballers like David Beckham and Zinedane Zidane wore at the time. They weren’t as valuable then but were my favourites with the oversized tongue that covers the laces. They went walkies one evening at a social 5s match a few years ago. I was distraught.

I searched high and low for a replacement pair but to no avail. There was hope when Adidas relaunched remakes of the retro Predator line. But these boots are very popular, which means they’re quite rare – particularly in a UK8. And that means they’re quite pricey too.

New ones will set you back up to a cool R7 000 a pair. And they’re not much cheaper on the second-hand market either.

As luck would have it, my online search failed to get me to a sports shop in Fordsburg, Johannesburg, with a reputation that precedes it. Rashid Cassim Sports’ website had been under construction for a while. So, I used my travelling day to Pretoria to make a detour to Fordsburg.

Picture: Adidas Predators – Rashid Cassim Sports / Ashraf Garda and Gasant Abarder

I was hosted by Ashraf Garda, the journalist who is Joburg’s unofficial mayor. Ashraf is a legendary TV and radio broadcaster who used to anchor SABC’s Special Assignment. He and others have been insisting I eat at Solly’s Corner in Fordsburg – Joburg’s own Wembley, Cosy Corner and Aneesa’s rolled into one.

The food was delicious and I was regaled by tales of the Akhalwaya dynasty that has seen many spin offs of the famous takeaways pop up all over Joburg. Uncle Yoonis Akhalwaya’s mother was the matriarch behind the well-known family business handed down from generation to generation.

Fueled by a fish and chip and polony parcel, I insisted Ashraf take me down the road to Rashid Cassim Sports.

Picture: Rashid Cassim with his World Cup Collection / Gasant Abarder

There, on the top floor of the three-story departmental sports store, my hunch proved spot on: the Adidas Predator remake in all its glory. They had my size too! In fact, Rashid had his personal collection of the original retro versions of these boots set in glass cases.

They just sat there with an AC Milan shirt signed by Rashid’s hero Paolo Maldini and retro Liverpool and Man United shirts signed by entire teams.

I had secret fantasies of breaking in and pilfering them (but leaving the Liverpool one behind)! These were short-lived because Rashid’s son was so generous with his time. We spent almost an hour chatting trivia and I realised that not only did his dad have a more impressive footy memorabilia collection than me but his son was a bigger footy nerd too.

Picture: Rashid Cassim with Pele / Gasant Abarder

Rashid’s modest little office down the road was a treasure trove. He has almost every ball used for every World Cup over the last three decades. Some of them were match balls!

In his office is the signed right boot Siphiwe Tshabalala planted when scored that rocket of a first goal of the 2010 World Cup for Bafana against Mexico with his left boot. There was a picture or three of Rashid with Pelé. There were some signed 80s posters on his walls. One signed by tennis star Steffi Graf that read: “Dear Rashid”. This was madness!

Picture: The signed right boot of Siphiwe Tshabalala / Gasant Abarder

Rashid and Ashraf were impressed with my knowledge of the boots players were wearing on the posters. I told him about the Predators I searched so long for and he promised to reserve them for me as he was the only retailer in SA to stock them.

I was so excited I called Mrs A. But she wasn’t as enthused. “R7 000 for football boots? Are you nuts?” My dream was dashed. There was nothing for it and I resorted in desperation to writing to Santa.

Santa was listening, guys, and he exists. Last week, an American guy I had made acquaintance with on Twitter sourced and purchased the boot for me during a Black Friday sale. I paid just R1 400. Now that is what a real Black Friday sale looks like.

I still hero-worship Rashid. But I will soon be the proud owner of my own pair of Adidas Predators. And that is what happens, girls and boys when you’re nice and not naughty!

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Picture: Gasant Abader

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