While some players around the world took the international break as a time to recuperate after a busy season so far, Kaizer Chiefs' Bernard Parker had other plans…
The Amakhosi veteran, who will turn 34 in a few months' time, has previously spoken of his process to prepare for life after football one day, and while several of his teammates were away on international duty, Parker was deep into his studies.
Speaking to Chiefs' official website in the build-up to this weekend's Telkom Knockout semi-final against Maritzburg United, 'Die Hond' explained that he's happy to be on 'the journey' with his teammates as they seek to end the longest trophy drought in the club's history, revealing what papers he sat while Bafana Bafana were playing 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
Parker told the site, "I managed to squeeze in three papers… Sports Marketing, Computer Literacy and Academic Literacy. I hope to get good marks for them, but it's good to be back and get back into the process and onto the journey that we are on. There is good energy and focus from the guys since we got back, and this good energy will hopefully bring positive results for us."
The attacker has featured in all but one of the Glamour Boys' matches in all competitions so far this year as head coach, Ernst Middendorp, looks to draw on his experience, and he's likely to feature again over the weekend as they go in search of a place in the TKO final.
Chiefs host Maritzburg at 15h00 on Sunday afternoon.
