Former Chiefs, Bafana midfielder forced into early retirement

Manyama enjoyed a memorable career in South African football, playing for the likes of Ajax Cape Town, SuperSport United, Cape Town City and then eventually Kaizer Chiefs, where he featured in nearly 100 games between 2018 and 2022. He also played in a number of games for South Africa.

However, Manyama has been without a club since being released by Chiefs in a major player shake-up at the end of the 2021-22 season.

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At one point he was thought to be close to re-signing with Cape Town City, but a serious knee injury apparently scuppered that deal.

That injury has also now forced him into early retirement.

“Today marks a very sad day for me as I have to call time on my football chapter,” stated Manyama, as shared by online source Unplayable.

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IT WAS HOPED THAT THE FORMER CHIEFS STAR COULD ONE DAY MAKE A COMEBACK

Earlier this year, his agent Maimane Phiri said they were confident the 2017 Premier Soccer League (PSL) Player of the Season could return from injury to finish his career on his terms.

“Injuries are part of football,” Phiri told TimesLIVE back in January. “Some people can spend two years without playing and when they heal they play again.

“So we can’t say his career is over now. But we have to wait until he heals properly. Injuries are different and it depends on how we treat them and how our bodies react to treatment.”

*Let us know some of your best memories of Manyama by clicking on the comment button at the end of this article.

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