New Pretoria Callies signing Edward Manqele feels he is nowhere near being a finished product, as he explained that his year-long break from the game
New Pretoria Callies signing Edward Manqele feels he is nowhere near being a finished product, as he explained that his year-long break from the game was meant for him to refresh.
The former Mamelodi Sundowns and Kaizer Chiefs striker was unveiled by GladAfrica Championship side Pretoria Callies, with the likes of Collins Mbesuma, Edmore Chirambadare and Meshack Maphangule.
The last club Manqele played for was Real Kings in 2020 and he told the Siya crew that he was keeping himself fit while he was away from the game.
"I've been around. Last year, after I left Real Kings, I decided to stay away from football, you see. I sat down, refreshed my mind, so that when I came back, I would come back in the right frame of mind," the 34-year-old told the Siya crew.
"I was doing personal stuff because you know that you can't only depend on football. There are things you need to do on the side. In January this year, that's when I started training again. You can expect the same old Manqele that you know. I just need to avoid injuries, you understand? Once you start getting injuries, especially at this age, it's a problem and you take long to recover. I need to avoid injuries and do what I do best, which is to score goals and also help the team go to the topflight. That's our mandate. We need to take this team to where it belongs.
Manqele's career has not been a smooth one, moving from club to club. He showed glimpses of brilliance, but was never quite settled, with a lot of movement.
"Life won't go smooth. There will be times when life is good, but obviously there will be humps along the way. But that obviously depends on what you do after that. There were moments were I had a great career, at Free State Stars, at Swallows, even at Sundowns, though I was not playing regularly. I feel I've had a good career and now I am here to guide the youngsters because they also want to taste what it's like to play in the topflight."
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