Former Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Cole Alexander has opened up to the Siya crew about taking a salary cut to finally realise his dream of playing in Europe.
Alexander had actually given up on playing his football in Europe long before turning 34 in July this year, so you can imagine how excited he is at the moment to have finally realised his dream of playing in that part of the world. He has signed with Swedish outfit Helsingborgs, who are coached by former Amakhosi coach Stuart Baxter.
Alexander parted ways with Amakhosi after spending two seasons at Naturena, bringing an end to his time at the club when he still had one year to go on his contract. He has now signed a contract until the end of the season with Helsingborgs.
"It just happened so quickly. It was so stressful because I had to sort out my Visa. It's a childhood dream, playing in Europe. At my age? Who would have thought? Not in my wildest dreams. I've signed until the end of the season and it's halfway through the season already" Alexander said to the Siya crew.
"When I left Chiefs, I wanted a plan B on the table. But there wasn't a plan B. In an ideal world, I would have liked to leave Chiefs with at least having something secured, but the reality is that I didn't have something. We terminated, but I threw my CV to people I thought believed in me. There was one guy who replied and that guy was Stuart Baxter. I am really lucky to get this job and be here in Europe.
"Leaving my family was not easy. I've never left my wife and baby before. They've always gone with me. Leaving them was the hardest thing, but we have a plan and a goal we hope to achieve. It's difficult for my wife to leave her job and come with me for only half a season. That's why we decided for her not to come just yet. Hopefully things look better for me here and then we will decide."
Alexander, who got to Sweden on Saturday before doing his medical on Sunday, had given up on making a move to Europe, but this deal has made him realise that anything is possible. Despite having to take a salary cut, he is delighted and would not swap the feeling he has for anything else.
READ: Alexander Finds New Home After Chiefs Exit
"In my head, that window of going to Europe closed long time ago. You know they say you can only get into Europe when you are 22, 24, 25, or 26...that's just the narrative that's going around. Once I went over that age, I knew that it probably won't happen. But it shows that nothing is impossible with God. I am very lucky and the club is a big club. I just hope I can add value here, but I also feel like I can learn a lot from the players. Hopefully I can do well and there will be another contract on the table," he said before talking about taking a salary cut from his time at Chiefs.
"I did take a salary cut. Even with the teams I was speaking to in South Africa, I was going to take a salary cut. It's just that I had to organise things again and make provision for things because now you are earning a different salary and that means you need to cut on expenses and set things in place for your new salary."
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