It was Kaizer Chiefs that made new Marumo Gallants striker Jaisen Clifford to fall in love with the game, and his father's love for Amakhosi would have made it difficult to sign for Orlando Pirates, a club he was linked with.
At 29, Clifford will get to play in the PSL for the first time in his professional career, having come through the development at SuperSport United. Clifford played his football in Malta, Lithuania, Portugal, Armenia and Bulgaria.
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"I left the SuperSport development and went to Malta. I earned a move to Lithuania, where we won the cup. From then, I had a stint in Portugal. I came back and eventually went to the Armenian Premier League. I had two seasons there and from there I went to Bulgaria. I am happy to be home," Clifford said to Soccer Laduma.
"There was interest from a few teams. I think Gallants had the right project. Gallants acted the quickest and I appreciated that. I feel that I want to give back to their belief in me."
Reports emerged a few weeks ago that Pirates were looking at the possibility of signing Clifford after spending time in Bulgaria with Etar Veliko Tarnovo. The player spoke to Soccer Laduma about the links.
"I don't really know much. I saw it in the papers. I think there were other teams that were maybe closer than Pirates. I also feel like making this kind of decision you have to think about your career as a whole. It was never really on my agenda to go to Pirates. We will see how things go in the future."
"I think Pirates is doing well at the moment. I don't really see myself in that team, but of course I wouldn't turn down the opportunity if they came knocking. But I feel like they are a stable team. You look at yourself as a player and say 'how would I fit into this system?' But at the same time, I feel we have a strong team at Gallants. We can challenge any team in this league."
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Joining Pirates might not be easy, considering he and his father are Chiefs supporters.
"My father is a big Chiefs fan. As much as I would want to be happy, I would want him to be happy as well. He played a big role in my career. I think I've made the right decision.
"The reason I became a footballer was (after) watching Chiefs in the MTN8. Chiefs influenced my decision to want to play football. The first match I attended was actually a Soweto Derby at FNB Stadium."
