Absa Premiership

Khune: I'll play till I'm 40

2018-03-16 14:11

Cape Town - Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune plans to continue playing for another nine years and hopes to reach the 600-game milestone with the Soweto giants. 

The 31-year-old Bafana Bafana stopper made his Chiefs debut in August 2007 and completed his 300th appearance for Amakhosi in last weekend's 2-1 Nedbank Cup win over Stellenbosch FC. 

The record holder for Chiefs appearances is Doctor Khumalo with 397 starts, followed by Brian Baloyi (347), Thabo Mooki (329), Siphiwe Tshabalala (325) and Tinashe Nengomasha (311). 

With no thoughts of winding down his career in the next few years, Khune believes he's only reached the half-way point and could well surpass Khumalo's mark. 

"It's a great feeling to have reached the 300-mark. I'm happy, but I'm not satisfied because I could have played more games for the club if it wasn't for injuries," he was quoted saying by KickOff. 

"It's not that I want to break records but I hope to continue doing what I love. There's Doctor Khumalo on 397 and there's Brian Baloyi, 'Tsiki-tsiki' [Thabo Mooki] and 'Shabba' [Siphiwe Tshabalala] ahead of me. 

"So, those are great legends and I’m happy to be named amongst them," he continued. 

"I'm 31 this year and I want to play until I'm 40, so jokingly I said, '300 matches to date, 700 to go.' 

"They said, 'No ways, let's do maths. How many seasons have you been with Chiefs?' I said '11', and they said, 'Okay, you've played 300. In nine years you won't play 700 games.' 

"So, I admitted they were right. Maybe I can play 600, but it will take a lot of discipline from me and I will need to look after my body because it's my investment. If I continue working hard, I will reach that milestone." 

Chiefs' next game is against AmaZulu, 18:00 at the FNB Stadium on Saturday.

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