Former Kaizer Chiefs star George Lebese has opened up about what happened behind the scenes leading up to a shock move to Mamelodi Sundowns, even though Chiefs had offered a higher salary.
Signed from then Vodacom League (now ABC Motsepe League) side Arcadia Shepherds in 2008 as a teenager, Lebese blossomed into a crowded favourite at Amakhosi and for most, was considered to be a Chiefs' development product, like the likes of Itumeleng Khune.
READ | Chiefs' missing man receives advice
It came as a shock to both Chiefs and the club supporters then when Lebese agreed to a move to join rivals Mamelodi Sundowns in 2017.Speaking on MSW on the move, Lebese revealed that he felt pushed towards the decision by his representative as well as disagreements with then Chiefs coach Steve Komphela.
"For whatever reason, I think he (the agent) was getting more on the other side [Sundowns] than a renewal. I would never known.
"But he pushed me in a way that - you know when someone pushes you, but you end up saying the words he wants you to say. He's not saying them; you must say them. So that was the kind of push.
"Also coming from a young age supporting Sundowns – all those factors – wanting to make the family happy. It came in at the right moment…"
ALSO READ | 'I'm not renewing' - Ex-Chiefs star's big Bobby Motaung regret
Lebese revealed that he felt he had disappointed Chiefs' general manager Bobby Motaung when he declined an offer to extend his stay at Amakhosi.
When pressed for an exact figure, Lebese added: "I don't remenber the exact numbers, but it was around 230 maybe, 230 (R230 000), a month…around those numbers. That was more than what Sundowns was offering, and I said no."