Cape Town - Kaizer Chiefs keeper Brilliant Khuzwayo has highlighted the importance of responsible living and planning for the future.
The Bafana-capped goal-minder is aware that football players have relatively short careers and says he has been fortunate to have received good advice on how to plan ahead.
"You can play football, but if you do not have the right education, then you will eat your money like hell and you'll get nothing out of that," the Amakhosi stopper told KickOff webiste.
"One thing I am fortunate to have is friends who are retired and they are giving me advice, telling me that I should start now and not wait till I retire.
"They tell me to invest now and have businesses that I can start running now, so that by the time I retire everything will be smooth."
He warned his fellow professionals about the perils of being tempted into flashy lifestyles and lured by latest trends.
"If you are just splashing money on cars and everything, it's fun and games now because you still have a contract, but what if it ends?," he said.
"The problem is that society will want to make you drive all these cars, but at the same time you are not saving anything. It's not right. Invest now and then you know that after football you are settled."
The 27-year-old is also determined to provide hope and opportunity for the youth and has already set up the Brilliant Khuzwayo Foundation in his home-town of Umlazi.
"It's nice to give back to the community. I have tournaments and the money I make from the tournaments I go and give back to the schools," he explained.
"Education is the key to success."