While hanging up his boots isn’t something Daniel Cardoso is contemplating yet, the seasoned defender has begun laying the groundwork for his post-football life.
At 35, Cardoso is still actively anchoring the Sekhukhune United backline as their vice-captain in the heart of the defence, and he has proven to be a key player.
In the SA top-flight, the former Kaizer Chiefs centre-back has made 326 appearances across all competitions. He has found the back of the net 16 times and provided five assists in the process.
And with age not being on his side, Cardoso is preparing for his playing days to end by running an academy.
The experienced defender says he has a football academy called DBK Football Stars [Daniel, Keegan and Brandon Football Stars. He runs it with another former Chiefs star, Keegan Ritchie, and former Bidvest Wits player, Brandon Barkhuizen.
DANIEL CARDOSO IS RUNNING A FOOTBALL ACADEMY
“I’ve been running the academy for two-and-a-half years now; it’s called DBK Football Stars,” Cardoso told FARPost.
“I started it because of life after football and will get my coaching lessons. I’ve been doing one-on-one [coaching sessions] with some youngsters and trying to help the future that comes through.
“We are based in Alberton, South of Johannesburg. We took it from grassroots developments. Now, we are competing in the eastern league, ELFA. We go all the way from Under-6 all the way to Under-17s.”
Cardoso further stated that the aim is to unearth talent, which is the future of South African football.
“Its aim is to produce players. I’ve got quite a few players in the development ranks. We are just trying to reach greater heights and see where it goes.
“There are a lot of academies that have opened, but some of them don’t know what they are doing. It’s the people who don’t know football and haven’t played the game. Hopefully my name attracts people to come true,” he added.
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