Olwethu Makhanya only arrived at Ibrox a matter of weeks ago. Already, he has supporters asking a simple question: where does that composure come from?
The answer sits thousands of miles away, on the streets of Durban. There, oversized boots taught Olwethu Makhanya to play a completely different way.
The 22-year-old has been one of the standout figures in a big week for Rangers.
He has now explained, in his own words, why his game looks the way it does.
Speaking on The DOOP podcast, Makhanya traced his short, sharp style back to childhood.
A lack of proper boots left him no choice but to keep the ball close. Everything about his technique traces back to that constraint.
How Oversized Boots Forged Olwethu Makhanya’s Technical Game
For a young Makhanya growing up in South Africa, ill-fitting boots were not just uncomfortable. They dictated how he had to play.
According to Olwethu Makhanya on The DOOP podcast, oversized boots removed the option of a long punt upfield entirely. There was no other way around it.
“When you play in oversized boots, you can’t really kick the ball long.
That single limitation reshaped his entire approach to the game. He could not clear his lines. He could not hit hopeful balls forward. Instead, Makhanya learned to think a pass or two ahead every time the ball reached his feet.
“Every time I had the ball, I knew I couldn’t kick it long so every time I had to try and find the short option.
“If I couldn’t find one, then I had to dribble because I’m not kicking it long.
Necessity, in other words, built the player. Rangers fans are only now discovering the results.
Makhanya Makes Podcast Revelation
The full picture emerged when Makhanya sat down for that interview.
He opened up about a childhood far removed from the academy pathways that produce most Ibrox recruits. Money was tight.
Football gear was a luxury his family simply could not stretch to.
“My parents couldn’t afford a pair of soccer boots for me, so I used to play with these oversized soccer boots.
“I played a lot of street soccer so there’s a lot of one-v-ones.
Constant one-on-one duels on uneven ground demand quick feet. They demand quicker decisions, too.
There is no time to weigh up a raking crossfield ball when an opponent is inches away and the surface beneath you is far from perfect.
Makhanya learned to solve that problem with his feet rather than his bootlaces.
It is a lesson that has stuck with him ever since, long after he swapped Durban’s streets for Scottish Premiership turf.
Street Soccer Foundations and Impressive Early Numbers at Ibrox
Those street lessons are already visible.
Makhanya played a key part in the recent lrague derby victory over Celtic, a result that gave Rangers two derby wins inside a single week.
That is a rare scalp against their fiercest rivals. Makhanya was central to it.
He also had a moment of real quality taken away from him in that same fixture. Makhanya curled an effort in off the post, only for the goal to be ruled out for handball.
It was a big decision, but the correct one.
Still, it did nothing to dim the impression he left on the Ibrox crowd.
It followed an eye-catching Old Firm debut at Ibrox, where his comfort in tight areas first caught the eye of the home support.
None of that composure looks accidental once the backstory is known. A player who spent his childhood unable to rely on a long kick learns very early how to keep the ball under pressure. That instinct does not disappear once the boots finally fit properly.
Numbers only tell part of the story with a player this young, but the eye test already backs up the theory.
Two derby appearances. Two vital contributions. One disallowed goal, but a very high performance level that still showed exactly what Olwethu Makhanya can do with the ball at his feet.
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