SuperSport United captain Thulani Hlatshwayo has candidly discussed his recent one-year contract extension with the club.
I’m honoured that SuperSport can give me another season. It’s truly appreciation of the work that I have done on the field and off the field.
The 34-year-old, who is the second-oldest player on the team behind striker Bradley Grobler, signed the deal in June, extending his stay until June 2025.
“For me, I will keep doing it again. It’s tough; I was actually speaking to ‘Bash’ [Onismor Bhasera] and ‘Bash’ was like, for now, that’s it’. One year option, one year option, but when you look at it, it’s really fair to invest in the future.
“We’ve had our chance. There are players that have done it before us; we also came as youngsters, so if next season I’m not here, it won’t be a surprise. It’s all about performance, make sure you’re injury free and make sure you keep doing well for the team.”
Hlatshwayo acknowledged that shorter contracts are common for older players in South Africa. There’s a prevalent misconception that players over 30 are past their prime, leading to shorter terms.
The veteran defender explained that while younger players often receive three-year deals, one-year contracts are the norm for older players. He admitted that there’s no guarantee he’ll be part of SuperSport’s squad next season.