In this edition of My Secret to Success, former Kaizer Chiefs striker David Zulu shares with KickOff how he realized his football dream.
Zulu explains that by the age of 23, he had almost given up when his opportunity to play professional football finally arrived.
"We were participating in the Discovery soccer tournament at the Nike Centre in Soweto, where I was playing for Pimville Young Stars. We reached the final, and I was recognized as one of the tournament's best players," says Zulu.
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"It was in December 2009, and I scored numerous goals during that tournament—about five in total."
"That's when Samuel Khaphathe, the team manager of Black Leopards, spotted me."
"That's how I ended up at Black Leopards. At 23, I finally realized my dream of becoming a professional football player.
"I had already given up on that dream; my focus had shifted to participating in amateur tournaments in my community.
"Black Leopards had just been relegated from the PSL to the NFD, so taking part in these local tournaments while still searching for a club became beneficial. That was the key to my success."