Legendary striker Nomvethe relishes last hurrah

Nomvethe has already bid farewell to Usuthu’s home supporters in Durban at the King Zwelithini Stadium at the weekend. The former Udinese, Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates marksman says he did not ever imagine that he would play until this age.

“I am happy with everything I have achieved. I have never been a bad example to the youngsters. I have always led by example and showed they must work hard if they want to be successful. My job was to show the youngsters that football is all about love.

“I did not expect that I would play for so long but my talent, love and respect for the game kept me going. I did not abuse my talent, I used it the way I was supposed to because if we take a look, a lot of players’ careers don’t even last five years. They play for two seasons and in the third season they become big-headed and they are released. Then you wonder what happened,” said Nomvethe.

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In his illustrious career where he won numerous individual accolades such as the coveted Footballer of the Season, “Bhele” says he has never encountered a defender that gave him sleepless nights.

“No defender gave me a problem because I was able to go to Europe and perform. I came back home and won all the individual awards. Most of the players who come back from Europe to retire here usually don’t deliver. I did not want to go down that route and I decided to work.

“For you to be a star you need to work hard … you have to perform for your club, because clubs sign new players every season and if you relax and do not deliver you will have a problem,” he said.

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