Lebogang Manyama, a former player for Kaizer Chiefs, has penned an emotional letter to his former clubs and supporters after being forced to retire at the age of 32 due to a persistent injury.
Manyama, who has been without a club since leaving Amakhosi after the 2018/2019 season, had been working towards a return to the DStv Premiership, with his most recent destination being Cape Town City.
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The Cityzens were reportedly interested in Manyama, especially after he won the Footballer of the Season award during his first stint with the club in the 2016/2017 season. However, it seems that Manyama has made the final decision to end his professional career and hang up his boots prematurely.
In an Instagram post, Manyama expressed his sadness about having to retire, recounting the misdiagnosis he had received regarding his injury.
He had initially been told he had tears in his medial collateral ligament (MCL) and meniscus, but it turned out that he had torn his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and had exacerbated the injury while rehabilitating the wrong areas.
“This marks a very somber day for me as I have to bid farewell to my football career as a player,” he wrote. “Nevertheless, I carry myself with pride because I never thought I would be so fortunate to showcase my talent and meet such incredible individuals along the way. For that, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to my family for their unwavering support, starting from when I was a young boy playing football in Alex.”
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Manyama first burst onto the professional scene while playing for Ajax Cape Town in the 2010/2011 season, where he was part of a talented Urban Warriors side that came close to winning the league championship.
However, his time in Europe was short-lived, and he returned to don the Gold and Black of the Glamour Boys for two more years before finding himself without a club.
