Former Mamelodi Sundowns captain Hlompho Kekana has confirmed his retirement as he brings down the curtain on an illustrious career.
Kekana is one of the most decorated players in the Premier Soccer League era, having won among other major honours six Premiership League titles, the 2016 CAF Champions League, and the 2017 CAF Super League. He has been capped 30 times by Bafana Bafana.
“Hlompho Kekana woke up today deciding he was going to write a letter announcing my retirement. It has been coming for some time since I left Sundowns,” the 37-year-old twice Fifa Puskas award nominee told Marawa Sports Worldwide on Tuesday afternoon.
In his letter, Kekana wrote: “As a kid growing up I always knew I wanted to play football. I have spoken a few times in my career about how I put up the bread money on football games as a kid.
“The people who knew me back then knew my crazy goals and they clearly saw my passion for the game. And this passion led me to leave home at a young age.
“It hasn’t always been easy, there were sacrifices. There have been many people who have played a role in me living the dream, who walked the path alongside me or supported me.”
Kekana, a key figure in Gavin Hunt’s SuperSport United side that won three successive PSL titles from 2008 to 2010, was nominated for Fifa’s Puskas goal of the year award for a strike from his own half for Bafana in an away Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Cameroon in 2016.
Kekana was born in the village of Zebediela in Limpopo.