The Mzansi legend has been the Glamour Boys’ cornerstone in goal, but it seems we have seen the end of his career.
You can't mention South African football without Itumeleng Khune's name failing to crop up owing to what he has achieved for both Kaizer Chiefs and Bafana Bafana for the last 25 years.
At 37, the veteran custodian is not ready to let it go and believes he can still play at the highest level for the next three seasons.
His passion for the game is unmatched despite his achievements, he wants it probably more than some upcoming players. But where did it start?
Khune's introduction to the game
The legendary custodian came to Kaizer Chiefs in 1999 and started as a striker, but he experienced some health problems that reduced him to a mere ball boy. Interestingly, that was a blessing in disguise.
Khune impressed the then club's youth coach Terror Sephoa with his diving skills on shots that missed the target, and he eventually gave him a chance as a goalkeeper in the reserve team before his promotion to the senior team in 2004.
He made his Chiefs debut against Jomo Cosmos in the Premier Soccer League on August 25, 2007.
Khune's passion and commitment saw him take the captain's armband in 2011, replacing Jimmy Tau.
The custodian was part of Bafana Bafana's 2008 Africa Cup of Nations squad, but he made his debut on March 11, the same year, against Zimbabwe. He was in goal during the 2010 World Cup held in Mzansi, and retained his place in the 2013 Afcon.
What has Khune achieved?
No current player at Chiefs has achieved like Khune at the club. He has won three Premier Soccer League titles, two Nedbank Cup crowns, four Telkom Knockout triumphs and three MTN8s.
In the 2012/13 season, the custodian had arguably his best campaign; he helped the Glamour Boys win the league and Nedbank Cup which saw him claim the PSL's Footballer of the Year and PSL Players' Player Footballer of the Year. He has since won the latter twice. The custodian has won PSL's Goalkeeper of the Season Award three times.
Apart from the aforementioned accolades, Khune was named Chiefs' player of the season four times among other individual crowns.
What does the future hold
At the beginning of the 2023/24 season, Khune's contract was extended by a year. The custodian was to step in as the Soweto Giants' third-choice keeper.
However, frequent mistakes by Brandon Petersen allowed Khune to come in and rescue the team after a disastrous start that saw the club fire coach Molefi Ntseki. Disciplinary breach saw him getting suspended from the senior team.
He was eventually recalled but Bruce Bvuma had already established himself as the club's first choice. Khune has consistently claimed he has what it takes to continue playing in top tier, but Chiefs want to give him a different role as confirmed by the Glamour Boys' Marketing Director Jessica Motaung.
It is interesting to see whether Khune will take the deal or look for another team to continue playing active and competitive football.