It still baffles logic how a player can win the Defender of the Season award one day and be deemed surplus to requirements the next. But such is the life of a footballer, one that Lyle Lakay knows too well. It is for that reason that the 32-year-old holds no grudges against his former employers, Mamelodi Sundowns, who released him at the end of the 2021/22 season. Soccer Laduma’s Delmain Faver sat down with the left back to talk about his time with the Brazilians, his regrets and why he has taken it upon himself to be a guide to Matsatsantsa’s up and coming youngsters.
Delmain Faver: Lyle, you’ve had three clubs in two seasons. How’s that been for you? Does that mean you don’t mind moving around, or is it a bit of an inconvenience for your family who move with you?
Lyle Lakay: To be honest, I spoke about it before, and I’ll speak about it again. The move to Cape Town City caught us by surprise. There are things that happened, which I don’t really want to go into. What influenced it was obviously Cape Town. I’m from Cape Town and I have a house there. My wife didn’t really take it well because she didn’t want to move. It’s understandable. Me too because obviously I came off a season where we won a treble and I won the Defender of the Season. It came as a shock and I didn’t want it, but at the end of the day I had to look at certain things. Also, I came from Cape Town City, I know the culture, I know the club and I know the owner. I had a good relationship with coach Eric (Tinkler) Even after playing there with coach Eric, I have a good relationship with most of them. Going back to Cape Town wasn’t difficult, but the decision wasn’t easy either. Moving there was easier because we just took a few of our clothes and we went down with my daughter and wife. Yeah, like I said, it was okay because in Cape Town we got a house, and my son was also there. And then coming to SuperSport (United), also another thing is I knew the club, I was here before, so it wasn’t a difficult decision. What motivated the decision also is coach Gavin (Hunt). He spoke to me, he’s the one who gave me my debut in the PSL, and SuperSport was competing in CAF at the beginning of the season, that also contributed to my decision. I have to consider my age but I’m not someone that will run away from competition. I believe if I put in the work I will eventually get to play. I’ve done that all the years I’ve competed, I’ve worked hard, and I mean it speaks for itself.
