Itumeleng Khune, who recently celebrated 25 years of services at Kaizer Chiefs, relived the exact moment he won the love and support of the club's loyal supporters.
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A rare one-club man, Khune who turns 37 next month, has seen the highs, the lows and everything in between during his time with Chiefs.
He has won five major trophies and made 347 appearances to date, and has vowed to continue serving the club, though his future is yet to be resolved.
But as his 20th season in the top flight comes to an end, Khune has taken time to reflect on the milestones he has achieved with the Glamour Boys.
"I just want to say thank you very much to the club, to the Amakhosi faithful for coming out in numbers to celebrate my special day, 25 years of service to the club. I think if you had to say. If loyalty was a person, you'll be speaking about me. I've been loyal to the club and they've been loyal to me also. They've given me the opportunity at the age of 12 to play for the club and I managed to spend five years in the development structures and I spent 20 years, two decades in the first team.
"So it goes to show the hard work, dedication and the sacrifices I had to put in order for me to be where I am today. So I just want to say thank you very much to everyone who has supported me throughout. My career. Yes, we are not done yet. There's still a long way to go. We're still going to bounce back and be the team that everyone knows us to be, which is the team that wins trophies. So I'm grateful for the opportunity that I was given at the age of 12 and I will continue making the Amakhosi faithful proud," he told the club's media department.
Khune says their Telkom Knockout final in 2007 cemented his status as a great amongst the club's supporters after he saved three penalties in their 4-2 win against Mamelodi Sundowns.
"No, I appreciate the love and support I've been getting since I turned pro in 2004, and when I made my first team debut in 2007, I think when we played the final in the Telkom Knockout in Pretoria. I think after saving the three penalties against Sundowns, that's when I won the support of the fans and since then I never looked back. I just kept on performing each and every game because as a player you get motivated when you hear the supporters chanting your name. You always get an extra push, it's been great that they've been there for me, for the club and I appreciate that very much and I will continue making them happy and proud every time I get an opportunity to play," he said.
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