Give Nabi more time!

Hola Soccer Laduma readers, I was driving back from Durban and I only got home on Monday, and you know, every garage I stopped by, every toll gate, it was like I was the one who played in the Nedbank Cup final.

- Itumeleng Khune

People were congratulating me more than they were congratulating the current crop of players. And those are the guys who made us proud.

To me, it meant a lot. I know what it means, what it takes to win a trophy. And obviously, I have won the Nedbank Cup before, and 10 years later, Kaizer Chiefs finally won the cup again last weekend. I'm the Nedbank Cup brand ambassador, and I'm more like a lucky charm. You know, Nedbank brought me on board to be their Brand Ambassador and then Chiefs won the cup (against Orlando Pirates). I think it was written in the stars that I was the only missing piece to bring luck to the club.

On the legends' interactions with the current players

This was a win for the former players, current players, and obviously future players; even the academy (DStv Diski Challenge) players had just won the league.

And we celebrated them. And now, a week later, the first team won the cup. So, it goes to show that we have paved the way. As much as the ones that have travelled the road before us, paved the way for us. And I'm happy that the boys were able to rub off whatever we've achieved with the club on them. That was my wish to see.

They needed to go out there and write their names in the history books of the club and they did exactly that! I'm happy and I'm proud of the team. I'm also happy with the legends who flocked to Moses Mabhida Stadium to support the current crop, because we've travelled that route before and we know how it feels to be called a champ.

On the criticism faced by Maart

I sent Yusuf Maart a personal message to congratulate him because he is the captain who has won a trophy, and it is only fitting for me, as the former captain, to encourage him. And that is why I was always in his defence whenever I covered the Kaizer Chiefs games. He was criticised. Sometimes criticism can either break you or build you.