Former Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Cole Alexander has opened up about the emotional weight of playing for Amakhosi, admitting that he “played small” and struggled to handle the constant pressure that followed him everywhere, even from Uber Eats drivers.
When Alexander joined the Soweto giants, it was supposed to be a story of experience meeting opportunity. After years of solid service at Ajax Cape Town, Polokwane City FC, SuperSport United, and Bidvest Wits, the Mitchells Plain-born midfielder arrived at Naturena ready to show he was a complete player.
But what he found was something even he didn’t expect: the incredible weight that comes with wearing the gold and black jersey.
In two seasons with the club, Alexander made just 28 appearances. The pressure from fans, media, and even strangers on the street became a great force.
In an interview on the Soccer Beat podcast, the 36-year-old got brutally honest, admitting the pressure changed how he saw himself as a player and as a person.
COLE ALEXANDER ON DEALING WITH PRESSURE AT CHIEFS
“That is the thing I regret, that is where I failed,” said Alexander after he was asked about dealing with the pressures at Chiefs. “I failed to equip myself enough to deal with that pressure. I did not find enough solutions to deal with that.
“Remember, it comes with the gig. If you go play at Polokwane, you deal with that club’s own types of pressures and so on with every team.
“You come to Chiefs, the noise from the outside is always going to be there. I was not equipped enough. I could not deal with those pressures. The criticism is huge. To be honest with myself, I failed. I played small and I was in my shell. I really tried to be better. At Chiefs, I failed.”
While owning his struggles, Alexander agreed that Chiefs gave him all the tools to succeed, but mentally, he couldn’t tune out the noise.
“Chiefs supplied all the resources for me to succeed. Remember, and this is important: as players, Chiefs deeply admire their fans. They admire and love their fans. If we have meetings with the management, they will always emphasise how important the fans are.
“As professionals, we need to equip ourselves to be able to deal with those pressures. You can try to avoid social media, but the noise always pops up somehow. When you are playing on the field, you are already thinking of the comments on Instagram or something if you make a mistake.
“Even Uber Eats delivery guys [laughs], they will give you your food and then express their disappointment, and you will be affected,” Alexandra concluded.
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