‘It’s been an incredible journey’, says Sundowns legend Kekana as he retires from football

Hlompho Kekana has called time to his remarkable career, as he retires from football having played for Mamelodi Sundowns for 10-years.

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The Sundowns veteran hangs up his boots after leaving the Brazilians last year in November even though he still had a contract with the club that was supposed to last until 2024.

Kekana was linked with several teams after his departure from Sundowns, but none of the reported moves materialised and he eventually took up a post of being an analyst for SABC sport.

The 37-yearold also had a brief stint with Bloemfontein Celtic, but eventually left the club to ending up at Sundowns, where he would enjoy his career and had successful years with the team.

Kekana confirmed his retirement from football with a statement he posted on social media platforms on Tuesday.

“As a kid growing up in Limpopo, I always knew that I wanted to play football. I have spoken a few times in my career about how I put up the bread money on football games as a kid. The people who knew me back then knew my crazy goals, and they clearly saw my passion for the game. And this passion led to me leaving home at a young age as I took the first steps on what was an incredible journey,” read part of the statement.

“It hasn’t always been easy, there were sacrifices that I faced and there were sacrifices from my family through the years. There have been many people who have played a role in me living the dream, who walked the path alongside me or supported me. So we were not around to share the success, but I am sure they were looking down with pride.”

The midfielder joined the Chloorkop-based outfit in 2011 and went on to captain the side in 2016, winning a number of trophies with the club including the Caf Champions League and the Caf Super Cup trophies.

Kekana hangs his boots having won a total of 12 trophies in his career and has featured for Bafana Bafana numerous times.

His career started back at his home province in Limpopo, where he played for Black Leopards. He later moved to City Pillars, before returning to Leopards and earning a move to SuperSport United, where he won back-to-back Premier Soccer League (PSL) titles with the club with Gavin Hunt at the helm.