ORLANDO STADIUM 3PM

Khumalo said. “My family and friends supported me through it all but I had even thought of quitting and going back to school or to pursue another career.

“[Former Sundowns captain] Mike Manzini was one of those who gave support. He used to invite me to go for jogs with him to keep my fitness up. He wouldn’t have had the certainty of knowing for sure, but he promised me something would come up.

“Luckily [Sundowns coach] Pitso [Mosimane] called me back to train when he took over, and let me play.

“The coach before him [Neeskens] would tell me I was not the player he was looking for. He was deliberately trying to kill my spirit by saying hurtful things. I never understood why.

“I was down and was just waiting for my contract at Sundowns to run out. I stayed strong and I wasn’t doing funny things like drinking excessively.

“Pitso gave me a chance, which I used. At the end of the [2012-13] season it was time for me to further my career at SuperSport.”

Khumalo is just 90 minutes – notwithstanding the possibility of extra appointment as United coach and is enjoying a fruitful spell with the national team too.

He was part of the Bafana Bafana team that did a neat job of qualifying for next year’s Africa Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea next year and put his name up for further