Former Mamelodi Sundowns and Black Leopards midfielder Raymond Monama has explained why he hasn’t officially retired despite spending many years on the sidelines.
Monama, now 37, was considered one of the most gifted players in the Premier Soccer League [PLS] and made a name for himself while at Leopards.
He caught the attention of Sundowns and was signed by the Tshwane giants alongside Rodney Ramagalela and Tiyani Mabunda in 2013.
But Monama struggled for game time under coach Pitso Mosimane and was loaned to University of Pretoria before leaving the club in 2014. He has since had stints at clubs such as Polokwane City FC, Platinum Stars, Royal Eagles, Ajax Cape Town and Steenberg United.
Although Monama hasn’t played professionally since his stint with Steenberg United in 2021, he insists he hasn’t officially hung up his boots. Instead, he is attempting to transition into coaching—though it remains unclear whether he holds any formal coaching badges or is actively pursuing them.
WHAT FORMER MAMELODI SUNDOWNS MIDFIELDER SAYS ABOUT HIS CAREER
“I have not yet retired; it’s just that I was injured for a long time, so retirement, no,” he said during the Tiyani Mabunda Foundation High School League games in Polokwane on Saturday, 12 September.
“I still feel like I can play, and it’s not even about playing professionally or anything. But I still want to play a bit and also coach while still playing. My intention is to do stuff like helping the younger players. So I have not officially retired. Obviously I want to be more involved with the coaching and developing of players,” he added.
RAYMOND MONAMA GRATEFUL AFTER PLAYING FOR ONE OF THE BIGGEST CLUBS IN THE COUNTRY
Monama also said he will always be grateful for the opportunity to play for a club like Sundowns.
“I am still grateful for the opportunities. God has always been good to me, playing for more than 10 years and for big teams in the country. There are a lot of players who were very good but didn’t even make it to the professional league, but I was able to play for a lot of big teams. So I am always grateful, and I will always appreciate everything that I had in my life.”
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