Marumo Gallants head coach Ronnie Kanalelo has opened up about his emotional return to Mamelodi Sundowns, admitting that coming back to a club where he spent almost a decade of his professional career brought back special memories.
Kanalelo returned to familiar surroundings as Gallants faced Sundowns, the club he represented from 1997 until the beginning of 2006, before embarking on a new chapter in his football career.
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The former goalkeeper reflected on the significance of returning to a place he called home for so many years, with the stadium and familiar faces among the reminders of his time at Chloorkop.
“I’m emotional about it, I only had one professional team in my career, I spent a lot of time here, coming in 1997, I left here in the beginning of 2006 – so that’s a long time, of course when you come here, you feel something,” he said.
However, despite the emotional significance of the occasion, the Gallants coach insisted that his responsibilities have changed and that his focus must now be firmly on his current team.
They suffered a 1-0 defeat and Carling Knockout Cup exit – which adds further pressure on the Namibian – who has yet to taste victory at the club since succeeding Phuti Mohafe in the role as head coach.
It’s a competition where Gallants eliminated Sundowns at the same stage last season en route to the final under former head coach Alexandre Lafite.
“You look at the stadium, remember the good games here, some of the same fans are still around – but it’s the game of football, I’m in a different space now and that’s where I have to give me all, it’s about being a professional – you know,” he added.
“But coming back to the question [I felt something] of course, it was my home for a very long time.”