I was gutted!

When Mamelodi Sundowns played Sekhukhune United in the Nedbank Cup quarter-finals in March, they came out guns blazing, firing from all angles, only to be denied by goalkeeper Renaldo Leaner. The former Ajax Cape Town goal-minder stood between defeat and Sundowns' victory with his Man of the Match performance, and it took Jayden Adams' 118th minute goal in extra time to beat him. The 27-year-old established himself as an exceptional goalkeeper at a time when national coach Hugo Broos was lamenting the lack of local goalkeepers in the Betway Premiership and won himself selection to the Bafana Bafana squad in the process. In this interview with Soccer Laduma's Thomas Kwenaite, Leaner reveals how gutted he was in the cup loss, discusses his favourite player of all time, and shares his thoughts on Sundowns' performance at the FIFA Club World Cup.

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Then Mamelodi Sundowns played Sekhukhune United in the Nedbank Cup quarter-finals in March, they came out guns blazing, firing from all angles, only to be denied by goalkeeper Renaldo Leaner.

The former Ajax Cape Town goal-minder stood between defeat and Sundowns' victory with his Man of the Match performance, and it took Jayden Adams' 118th minute goal in extra time to beat him. The 27-year-old established himself as an exceptional goalkeeper at a time when national coach Hugo Broos was lamenting the lack of local goalkeepers in the Betway Premiership and won himself selection to the Bafana Bafana squad in the process. In this interview with Soccer Laduma's Thomas Kwenaite, Leaner reveals how gutted he was in the cup loss, discusses his favourite player of all time, and shares his thoughts on Sundowns' performance at the FIFA Club World Cup.

TK: Describe to us how you felt about your performance against Sundowns in the Nedbank Cup quarter-finals.

RL: Everyone was shocked about my performance because I had never played a single game for Sekhukhune for over six or seven months prior to the Sundowns game. And to come in and make my debut against Sun-downs and have such a performance was a shock to many. That was when people started to notice me, even though I had been on the scene for a number of years. I was just proud of myself for giving the best of my abilities and for showcasing my talent against such a formidable team.

TK: Was that the game that introduced you to the majority of South Africans who until then did not know you?