Former Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates midfielder Tyren Arense has revealed why he had to take a break from football after he hung up his boots back in July 2017.
The Cape Town-born retired footballer took a three-year break from the beautiful game but only returned back last year after feeling a need to be involved in football again.
He is currently the coach of the Cape Town Spurs development team [Under-14], after serving as the Under-18 head coach of Kapstadt.
Arendse’s football career blossomed when he joined Santos in the 1999/2000 season, where he went on to play 112 games across all competitions.
The 41-year-old also boasts three Bafana Bafana caps, having made his debut in August 2004 during a 2-0 defeat to Tunisia in an international friendly.
In an interview with FARPost, the legend disclosed that he felt a need to spend more of his time with his family as he had two young boys by the time he retired.
He went on to state that he felt like he had neglected to spend much of his time with them given the fact that he had always focused on his football career all his life.
However, Arendse reckons that he was quite content when he made the decision to stay away from football.
ARENDSE SPEAKS…
“I started playing football in 1993, that’s close to two decades in football none stop,” he told this publication.
“You know, football basically took over my life. And also the time I retired I had two young boys. I think one was seven years old and the other one was about three or four I think.
“For me, around that time the last option that I had was only over the weekend that I can spend time with them, and that was actually the first time on a Saturday morning I could spend time with them.
“That’s when I realised that no man, I have played enough of football and I need to step away from football and spend more time with my family.”
The MTN8 brand ambassador continued: “They were so young and you know when you are involved in football you get to be busy 24/7. And the person that I am was always busy and focused on football.
“Even when was home injured, I would focus on my recovery and neglect spending my time with them.
“So, I think that was one of the reasons I decided to stop playing and also dedicate my time to my beloved family.”
