She knows what happened the team one day. Did she speak to you upon your permanent departure? LG:

“Chiefs considered everything and decided to turn it down.”

Hopes were up for Lorenzo Gordinho after he had a fruitful loan spell with Bloemfontein Celtic, upon which he was recalled by parent club Kaizer Chiefs at the end of 2018, shortly after the arrival of coach Ernst Middendorp. However, things just have not gone according to the script for the 25-yearold defender since then, barely getting a look-in as Erick Mathoho and Daniel Cardoso continue to impress in the heart of defence for the Soweto giants. When murmurs began to emerge that the player was not happy with his situation, it was only inevitable that he would look to get a move sooner or later, and now it’s happened. In this interview, the new Bidvest Wits recruit shares with Soccer Laduma’s Beaver Nazo the reason behind leaving South Africa’s most-supported club, addresses rumours about Orlando Pirates and talks about the competition that awaits him at his new club.

Beaver Nazo: Lorenzo, from a Glamour Boy to a Clever Boy… how does it feel?

Lorenzo Gordinho:

Look, it feels great to be a Clever Boy and hopefully the overall journey will be a good one for me and the club. The welcome from everyone in the team has been fantastic and I am looking forward to contributing towards the success of the team.

BN: Talk us through how ‘Glamour’ came to be ‘Clever’.

LG:

Kaizer Chiefs and I reached a mutual agreement that I be released from my contract so that I could move to a club of my choice. (Bidvest) Wits then approached my agent for my services, and my agent then spoke to me and I saw it as a very good opportunity for me to grow my game.

BN: What necessitated this mutual agreement that you be released from your contract?

LG:

I was not in the coach’s plans at Chiefs, therefore there was very little chance that I would play. We had a meeting where we discussed my situation and mutually agreed that I should look elsewhere. I needed to think of my career. It was a mutual agreement. The coach (Ernst Middendorp) spoke to me before I left and he said that when he arrived, he made plans for the team for the last part of last season that would carry through to this season, and when he did that, I was not there and therefore I am not part of the plans. So, yeah, there’s nothing personal and there’s no hard feelings.

BN: What did you say to him when he told you that?

LG:

I thanked him for being honest with me and, like I said, there were no hard feelings. It was just a football decision. I just said, “Thank you, coach” and he also thanked me for the professionalism and wished me the best of luck at my new club.

BN: Surely, if the coach knew even before the beginning of this season that you were not part of his plans, he should have told you earlier, don’t you think?

LG:

Yes, but I don’t think he was out there to frustrate me but rather he was maybe not sure about me until he saw what he saw in me. It’s a difficult one because at the same time I wanted to prove to him that I could do the job. These things happen in football, man. It was just one of these things and I don’t regret my time at Chiefs.

BN: Why did the team recall you halfway through your loan spell at Celtic, in the first place?

LG:

No, my loan deal was done. Yes, they wanted to recall me halfway when coach Solinas came in, but they decided that it was best if I finished the loan deal at Celtic.

BN: When game-time was hard to come by, didn’t you feel disappointed that you lost out on game-time at Celtic only to be completely out of the team at Chiefs?

LG:

Of course, you know, just like every player, I always want to play and when you’re not playing, people start to ask questions, like, “Where are you?”, “What are you doing wrong?” So, yeah, it was tough, but I had to continue working hard with the hope that something was going to come. It turned out Wits came, you know. I was really working hard last season.

BN: How was your relationship with coach Middendorp?

LG:

It was a professional player-coach relationship, man. There was nothing wrong between the two of us. It was just a relationship between a player and a coach. I came in every day, dd what I had to do and respected him as my coach and everyone, respected his decisions as well.

BN: Did he tell you what you needed to do to change your situation in as far as game time was concerned?

LG:

Not really. We never spoke on a one-on-one basis besides when I was about to leave. We never spoke about my game.

BN: What was it like going to training and putting in the effort knowing that you will most probably not play and might not even make the 18-man matchday squad? LG:

It was hard at first, but what I told myself was that I would never give up on my career and I was never going to go easy. I doubled my effort at training, hoping for the best. However, like I said, no hard feelings. I understood what the coach said and it happens in football.

BN: Lorenzo, what was really going through your mind as you sat there watching the team doing well knowing that with every win, with every clean sheet, all it meant is that you were nowhere closer to getting game-time? The Soccer Laduma readers would like to know the mental space you were in at the time…

LG:

I did not really take it that way. I just continued working hard knowing that I would get my chance to play one day. It’s a weird feeling because you want to be on the field and, at the same time, I was happy for my teammates because I had been with the team for so many years. They are my brothers, my friends; we were a family. Yes, we compete for positions, but they are not the ones who select the team, the coach does. I was happy to see them doing well. You cannot have a bad heart in football, otherwise I don’t think you’d last very long in football if you have a bad heart.

BN: There were reports that suggested that only guaranteed gametime would convince you to extend your contract at Naturena…

LG:

No, man, I never demanded that. I mean, nothing can be guaranteed in football, no matter where you go, no matter what type of player you are. That was not the case. We just reached a mutual agreement because I had to think of my career, that’s all.

BN: You left the club in the midst of the 50th anniversary celebrations, having spent a decade in Naturena from when you started out in the junior ranks. Must have been quite emotional, Lorenzo.

LG:

Yeah, hey. It was a decision I had to make for my career. Obviously, I have many friends there, having been there for almost a decade. I had to move and pursue my career elsewhere. I thank the club and everyone there for everything they’ve done for me. I hope that it will be a good year for them as they are celebrating the milestone.

BN: Chiefs football manager, Bobby Motaung, said in a statement, “Lorenzo leaving us is a touchy one, especially as he has been for almost ten years with us, starting at our youth development. His challenge, however, was getting game-time and we didn’t want to block his career.” What do those words mean to you?

LG:

They mean a lot. Like I said, we parted ways mutually and there were no hard feelings. Chiefs will always have a special place in my heart and I know everything I know about football now because of them. I want to thank them for that.

BN: When you were loaned out to Bloemfontein Celtic, Chiefs digital manager, Kemiso Motaung, took to social media to express her disappointment in seeing you leave, but in the same breath said that you would come back and captain

Yeah, we did talk. She said that it’s not something she’s happy about, but she understands why I took that decision based on the situation at hand. She knows what happened and she knows that it was never my initial plan to leave Chiefs. I know that her plan was for me to be there for long. It is football, man, and as you know, the game is unpredictable.

BN: All said and done, how do you feel about how things turned out for you at Chiefs?

LG:

I am good, man, because I didn’t leave Amakhosi on a sour note. We parted ways by mutual consent. I do not feel bad at all because I had to think of my career, like I said.

BN: A glance through the appearance statistics suggests you had your best Chiefs spell under coach Steve Komphela. Agree?

LG:

Look, I think so. My relationship with coach Steve was the best. He understood me very well and, because of all that, he got the best out of me. He was a great human being before being a coach. He was just unfortunate not to win a trophy. I think we went to two finals with him (2015 MTN8 and 2015 Telkom Knockout) and we were very unfortunate to lose both. Performance-wise, we were good. I also played very well and, because I kept playing game after game, I would like to believe that it was based on

my performances.

BN: You were at Orlando Pirates as a youth player and it cannot be ignored that some sections of the Buccaneers’ fans had been demanding that the club sign you when the news of your possible exit from Amakhosi gained momentum. How did that make you feel? LG:

Well, I appreciate the fact that the fans believe that I can add value to a big club

like Pirates. Sometimes fans read what is written in the newspapers and on the websites. Maybe it was what was written as a potential transfer, hence they wanted it.

BN: Were you ever approached by Pirates?

LG:

Unfortunately, there was nothing that came to my agent or me from Pirates. So, no, I was never approached by Pirates to join them.

BN: Would you have given them the time of day if they had tapped you on your shoulder and said, ‘Listen…’?

LG:

I cannot say because I have already made the decision to come to Wits and they are as equally good and a title-challenging side as well. I am happy with the decision I made.

BN: Before putting pen to paper with Wits, Celtic were mentioned as a possible destination, albeit on loan for the remainder of this season, and even your representative, Mike Makaab, confirmed to the Siya crew that the deal was close to happening at the time. What happened?

LG:

I think the interest from Celtic was communicated through Chiefs and Chiefs considered everything and decided to turn it down. That is why the move never came to life.

BN: Were you personally considering going to Bloemfontein?

LG:

I hadn’t given it thought and, like I said, I made the right decision coming here. I had a good time during my loan spell at Masele though.

BN: You’ve joined a formidable Wits side that has two established Bafana Bafana central defenders in Thulani Hlatshwayo and Buhle Mkhwanazi. Isn’t it like jumping from the frying pan and into the fire?

LG:

I believe there’s competition in every team and it is a good thing. It will help the team (to) be as competitive as it has always been or more, and I believe that I will learn from the other players as much as they will learn from me.

BN: On 18 March, The Clever Boys will be away to Chiefs for what could potentially be a top-of-the-table clash. What would it mean for you to come out of the tunnel at FNB Stadium to face your former teammates that evening?

LG:

It would mean a lot to me if I am given a chance to play against Chiefs. Even though I was there long and everyone knows what I can do, I think it would be a chance for me to prove to them that I was worth being given a chance.

BN: The 2-1 defeat to Horoya brings your CAF Confederation Cup campaign to an end, meaning you’ll be pushing for the league title without any hindrance, so to speak.

LG:

Yeah, look, from what I gathered here, both the league title and the CAF Confed Cup were a priority. We are going to give it our best shot, the league title that is. There’s also a Nedbank Cup to play for and Wits is a competitive team, hence we compete for every trophy on offer. So, losing in the Confed will give the guys time to recuperate.

BN: Before you go, any message for the Amakhosi faithful?

LG:

I want to thank them for their unwavering support all these years, for the words of encouragement in the messages that they sent me after my departure. It means a lot to me that they will never forget what I have done for the club. For them to notice what I have been doing all these years is amazing and I thank them wholeheartedly for that. Amakhosi For Life!

BN: Freedom, thanks for your time and all the best in your Wits journey.

LG: Thank you, man. ❐