Olwethu Makhanya Prepares for First Old Firm Derby

Olwethu Makhanya will walk into his first Old Firm derby on Sunday knowing he almost walked away from football altogether.

The Rangers defender, a calm new presence in Derek McInnes’ back line, admits his career might have ended before it began if not for one firm voice on the other end of a phone call home.

A 16-year-old ready to give up

At 16, Makhanya left home for Johannesburg chasing a dream that suddenly felt very far away. The trials were tough, the breaks weren’t coming, and the doubts grew louder.

"I went away from home for the first time, tried, but things were not going well," he said. "I called my mum this one day. I told her 'I just want to come back, maybe focus on education because maybe football is not for me.'

That could have been the end. It wasn’t.

"The thing that she told me over the phone was that 'you left here telling me that you're going to go play football, so I want you to do that.' I just had to keep on going until things came true for me."

They did. His mother’s insistence kept him in Johannesburg long enough to earn a move to Stellenbosch. From there, the path ran to Philadelphia Union and now to Rangers, where the 22-year-old South Africa international has settled quickly.

"I think my parents, especially my mum, played a really big role in me becoming a professional footballer," he said. The evidence is there every time he steps onto the pitch.

A defence built on resolve

Since arriving in the summer, Makhanya has slotted into McInnes’ defence with a composure that belies his age. Rangers have strung together four straight league wins, conceding just once in that run.

The late midweek victory over St Mirren felt like more than three points to him.

"I think it does highlight the fact that maybe the group is strong mentally," he explained. "That shows a lot of mentality and character from the boys."

The message from inside the dressing room is clear: stay tight, stay together.

"It's going to be very important to stay together. I think it shows a lot of togetherness and it's something that we've been working on off the field."

That resilience will be tested in the most unforgiving of arenas when Celtic arrive at Ibrox for a League Cup quarter-final that already crackles with significance.

First taste of the Old Firm

For all his experience of moving countries and rebuilding his career, Makhanya has never faced anything quite like this.

The centre-half doesn’t pretend otherwise.

He knows the scale. He’s felt the build-up. Training ground conversations, messages from supporters, the noise around the city – it all points to a fixture that swallows the ordinary and spits out something entirely different.

"I think everyone understands what this fixture means to the club, to the fans and everyone," he said. "I'm really excited and looking forward to it."

He’s not dressing it up. He expects chaos, colour and a wall of sound.

"I just know that it's going to be a very passionate game. I'm honestly expecting a really, really crazy game from the fans."

For a defender, that emotion can either rattle you or lift you. Makhanya is clear which side of that line Rangers must stand on.

"We just have to try and do our job and deliver because we know the fans are going to be behind us. We're going to use them as an encouragement and also understand that we're also doing it for them. They're going to be very helpful for us."

From a teenage phone call in Johannesburg to a quarter-final Old Firm at Ibrox, Makhanya has already shown he can handle pressure. Now he steps into a fixture where mentality, togetherness and that voice in the back of his mind will matter more than ever.