Kaizer Chiefs legend Brian Baloyi has recalled how he narrowly missed out on a potential move to English Premier League giants Liverpool.
‘Spiderman’, as he was famously known during his playing days, was in his prime in the late 1990s and early 2000s, establishing himself as the number one goalie for Amakhosi.
He made his Bafana Bafana debut in 1997 when they lost 2-0 to Netherlands, filling in for Andre Arendse who had cemented his place in the national team.
Baloyi was one of the standout performers at the 1998 AFCON in Burkina Faso, earning a place in the tournament’s All-Stars team.
In the same year, when he represented the country in the FIFA World Cup, Baloyi was made aware of an interest from Liverpool, who expressed a desire for him to join them in training.
He stated that the club’s chairman, Kaizer Motaung, insisted that any interested party must purchase him outright, missing an opportunity to train and possibly impress the EPL giants.
MOTAUNG SR WANTED LIVERPOOL TO BUY BALOYI OUTRIGHT
“In 1998, we went to the World Cup. And great Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper Peta Bala’c comes to our camp,” said Baloyi in an interview with MacG Podcast and Chill.
“He says, ‘Brian, I’ve been seeing you on TV’. I said, ‘My agent is here, speak to my agent’.
“He said, ‘I’ve been speaking to Bruce Grobler, and we want to get you to Liverpool’.
“I said to them I’m here to play the World Cup. I had just had a great AFCON in Burkina Faso.
“And they said the chairman is here. He was there in the same hotel with us. He promised us that after the World Cup, when the preseason starts, we will allow him to come for a week and train, and then we can make decisions.
“Then we came back after the World Cup, then I remember that those people made contacts with the chairman. And the chairman said, ‘No trial, if they want you they must buy you’.”
A similar situation arose with Copenhagen, where former Bafana striker Sibusiso Zuma had recommended Baloyi to the Danish club.
Despite their interest in having Baloyi undergo a week of training with them, Copenhagen was also met with the same demand from Motaung.
Ultimately, Baloyi’s career remained at home, with him playing for Kaizer Chiefs, Mamelodi Sundowns, and Moroka Swallows throughout his playing days.
COPENHAGEN WERE MET WITH SAME DEMAND FROM CHIEFS
“Later, Copenhagen, when Sibusiso Zuma was at Copenhagen we were very good mates in the national team,” he continued.
“He told his coach about me. And there was a guy who used to work for a company called Hummel. He lived here in SA as they sponsored Wits.
“The guy was friends with my agent, and he said Copenhagen are [interested in] you.
“We started talking, same thing. Sbu [Zuma] used to say when we get to camp, ‘Ey spider, you are not serious’. And I would say I have a contract [with Chiefs]. Them as well, wanted me to come over, train with them.
“Copenhagen came to SA in Port Elizabeth. They had their pre-season here. They said, ‘We are in South Africa, can he come here’. And the chairman said, ‘No if you want him buy him’.”
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