Why Doctor Khumalo didn’t play in Europe

Kaizer Chiefs legend Doctor Khumalo achieved a lot in his career in South Africa and played abroad as one of the first South Africans in Major League Soccer.

However, many ask him why he didn’t play in Europe.

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DOCTOR KHUMALO REVEALS WHY HE DIDN’T PLAY IN EUROPE

Doctor Khumalo is widely regarded as one of the most skillfull players ever to lace up a pair of boots.

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When he had trials with Aston Villa in the early 1990s he was quickly convinced that playing in Europe wasn’t for him.

The very physical and direct European game was at odds with the shoeshine and piano style of football that Khumalo was groomed on.

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“Some people ask why I didn’t play in Europe,” Khumalo told SAFM. “But I went to Aston Villa for trials and we played Fiorentina in Italy. I realised this is not my kind of football.

“It was ‘skop and donner’. I did a ‘show me your number’ and they swore at me. I decided to come back home.”

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NEARLY JOINING ORLANDO PIRATES

The face of South African football might also have been markedly different had Kaizer Chiefs not hijacked Orlando Pirates’ proposed swoop for a young Khumalo.

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“I almost joined Orlando Pirates but it was thanks to Bobby [Motaung] and others that I ended up at Chiefs,” Khumalo said.

“Pirates had already approached me. But the next day after school, I was told Chiefs want to see me.

“When I got there, the Chairman had a contract, already signed by my father.”

DOCTOR KHUMALO INDEBTED TO THE MOTAUNG FAMILY

Khumalo lauded the impact of the chairman on his life and career helping him spend his first salary wisely.

“My first car came later on… It was not from my first salary. It came years after I started playing. I don’t want to be greedy with the advice I was given, we received the information. We captured it and now it is our turn to share it with the next generation.

“This game is not about you deciding that you will play for 20 years. You can be disciplined, but if the unexpected happens, you could get a serious injury and be forced to quit the game. 

“And the next thing you find that you only have the car which happens to lose its value. Investing is the greatest way of living because it means you are wise and you will not be in need.”