After officially hanging his boots, former Maritzburg United winger Gabriel Nyoni has revealed his plans for the future. The 29-year-old succumbed to a career-ending injury with Cape Umoya United, which forced him to quit playing football.
Speaking to FARPost, Nyoni says football runs in his blood, and he will continue being involved in the sport.
“With my planning career now over, I plan to continue to be involved in the sport. I want to educate and offer knowledge to young footballers about financial literacy. Players should learn to invest while still playing and getting paid because a football career is very short. With one injury, your career can end,” Nyoni told FARPost.
“Then maybe in future, I can venture into football management because football is something that I love. I will always be involved in it somehow.”
Going down memory lane, the former footballer reveals what led him to take such a difficult decision.
“[Retiring] It’s something I considered for a long time. A bad injury kept me on the sidelines for a long time. It was taking longer to heal than I had expected to do.”
“I consulted many doctors to weigh my options, all they were saying the same thing. If I return to playing football again, I will be risking having my leg amputated. That means I will never play football again, and a part of my body will be lost.”
“It’s been a difficult period for me; football is something that I love. We followed every procedure with the PSL and the insurance. Once everything was done and finalized, I decided it was the right time to announce my retirement,” he concluded.
