The former Bafana Bafana captain is keen to stay at Matsatsantsa despite having made only eight appearances in the league this season
SuperSport United defender Bongani Khumalo is determined to clinch his fifth Premier Soccer League (PSL) title before he retires.
However, Matsatsantsa have an outside chance of winning this season’s league title as they are placed third on the standings – eight points behind leaders, Kaizer Chiefs, who have two games in hand.
“I’ve put that in pencil, to be honest. Before I retire, I need to give it one more push, just to make it a nice number,” Khumalo told IOL.
“It is something that I have at the back of my mind. I’ve got a year left with SuperSport, I have a year to get that right. Obviously, this season we are where we are but we will try and finish as high as we can.
“After this season, I have a year left on my contract. I have to push again. I’ll push for that with all that I have, just to try to help the team as best as I can.
“Whether my role is playing every game, play now and then or whatever, it is about pushing whoever is there to get to that fifth one. That’s what is important.”
Khumalo, who was part of the Bafana Bafana squad at the 2010 Fifa World Cup finals, is an accomplished player having been signed by Tottenham Hotspur and played in the Uefa Europa League for Greek giants PAOK.
“I’ve very blessed. A friend of mine made me realise this. I think this is my eighth season in the PSL and I’ve won seven trophies,” he added.
“I’ve won four league titles, a Telkom Knockout and two MTN8 titles. I’ve been very blessed to have been around the winning teams and been able to carry my winning mentality within those teams.
“I’m proud to say, I haven’t played for a club in South Africa and not won anything there.
“That’s just a fact and it is something that I’ve worked for since I was a kid. But like I said, every day is new in football. Every game is new. But you can’t spend too much time looking back. When I was in Greece, I won the play-offs with PAOK.
“We finished second and qualified for the play-offs and we went there and won which meant the following year the team would have qualified for Uefa Champions League or Europa League.
“That’s great. At least I can say I’ve made a mark everywhere I’ve been. Going forward one is carrying the same winning spirit and mentality. I’m always hungry to win.”
Khumalo, 33, won three PSL titles with SuperSport between 2008 and 2010, before adding his fourth league winner’s medal during his two-year spell with Bidvest Wits.
“We all love the game but let’s be honest, there’s a coach who used to tell me in the UK that you know what, we love the game, training and all that but what we really love is winning,” he continued.
“Whether you are a fan, footballer or a coach, what we really love about the game is winning. For me, that hasn’t changed.
“This game is all about winning and trying to improve. There’s always room to improve no matter what you’ve done. No matter where you are, you can always do better.”
The current PSL season has been halted due to the coronavirus pandemic.
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