Paulse, who retired at the end of the 2016-17 season and started working as a TV analyst, says the reason to come out of retirement was to help Umoya coach Roger De Sa.
“My return to football had a lot to do with Roger. We were close during his spell as Ajax coach and, after I quit, he always told me I had retired too soon; that I still had a lot to offer. We have always been in touch and we had a talk about me making a comeback for Umoya,” Paulse told IOL.
“We sat down and had a chat about the club’s plans, and he told me if I wanted to be part of it, as a player, he would be quite happy. He was confident I could still contribute.
“I decided to give it a week or two of training with the squad, just to see how I felt. And, you know, this game of football, it’s a bug that bites: I love playing and, most of all, I found I missed the competitiveness of it all the most. So I bought into the club’s plans, signed a contract, and I’m hoping to play a role in developing this club.
“But, really, to be honest, I would not have done it for any other coach – it’s just the type of respect Roger and I have for each other.”
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