Olwethu Makhanya's Journey to the Old Firm Derby

Olwethu Makhanya stands on the brink of his first Old Firm derby insisting he almost walked away from football – and that a firm voice on the other end of a phone call kept his career alive.

The Rangers defender, a summer signing from Philadelphia Union, has slotted seamlessly into Derek McInnes’ back line. Four league wins on the spin, just one goal conceded, and now a League Cup quarter-final against Celtic at Ibrox on Sunday. It feels a long way from a teenager ready to pack it in.

A phone call that changed everything

At 16, Makhanya left home for Johannesburg, chasing a contract and a dream that suddenly felt a lot less certain.

"I went away from home for the first time, tried, but things were not going well," the South Africa international 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.'

The response was blunt, and exactly what he needed.

"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."

That push helped steer him towards Stellenbosch, the club that launched his professional journey and set him on the path that now runs through Ibrox.

"I think my parents, especially my mum, played a really big role in me becoming a professional footballer," he said.

Building a wall at the back

Makhanya, 22, has become a central figure in a Rangers defence that has quietly tightened the screw. Four straight league victories, one goal shipped, and a growing sense of resilience.

Their late midweek win over St Mirren felt like another piece of evidence.

"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.

"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."

The numbers are simple. Rangers are winning. They are hard to break down. And the new centre-half looks like he has been there far longer than a few months.

First taste of the Old Firm fire

Now comes Celtic. A League Cup quarter-final. Ibrox. A first Old Firm for a player who has never felt anything quite like it.

The scale of the occasion is not lost on him.

"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.

"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."

The message inside the dressing room is clear: embrace the noise, but keep your head.

"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 that crossroads as a teenager on the phone to his mother to the roar of an Old Firm night at Ibrox, Makhanya has already shown he can handle pressure. Now he walks into the most demanding fixture of his career, with the same simple instruction ringing in his ears – you left home to play football, so go and do it.