There's still life in these shoes

Published Jun 26, 2007

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The question has been put to John "Shoes" Moshoeu so many times that it now irritates him.

Just when will he decide to hang up his boots?

Well, not anytime soon, he said yesterday, and, given his superb performance in AmaZulu's victory over Pretoria University on Sunday, it's understandable why he still wants to give those 41-year-old legs another go.

The veteran set up a goal and added another as Usuthu beat Tukkies 3-1 in the Mvela League playoff final, handing Moshoeu and his colleagues a lifeline after they had endured a tumultuous season.

You can now bet that Moshoeu will again be at the forefront of Usuthu's attack in the new season.

Wearing the "oldest player in the PSL" tag has never bothered him. "I have answered the question (about retirement) so many times with the same answer," Moshoeu said.

"Old age is all in the mind. When you listen to people saying you're old, it'll get to you. I have never allowed that to happen. I know that there's a child in me that makes me blossom. I feel like a 16 year old."

Moshoeu left Kaizer Chiefs around this time last year as the club decided not to offer him a new contract.

He says he was not surprised because, even when he returned a free agent from Turkey in 2003, Amakhosi had been reluctant to re-sign him.

"I said then that I was not here to retire, but to continue playing. I thrive on challenges. And as long as I make people happy and do what they expect of me, I will continue playing."

Sunday's performance certainly pleased the Usuthu faithful and Moshoeu believes they should never have waited this long to confirm their status as a Premiership team.

"We played far better than certain teams in the league. That always gave me belief that we won't go down. This survival means a lot to us, given the hiccups we had throughout the season.

"The chairman (Patrick Sokhela) and all the players deserve praise because they showed commitment in spite of the problems we experienced," Soweto-born Moshoeu said.

This year marks Moshoeu's second decade as a professional footballer after making his debut for Giant Blackpool in 1987. And, now that AmaZulu have survived, he's challenged them to bring back their old spark.

"It's not acceptable for a club like us to be fighting for relegation every year. It's gone on for a while, since the NPSL days, that AmaZulu get in and out of the Premiership. My ambition for next season is to help them perform more consistently.

"We're a sleeping giant, we just need reawakening. We should become a top team, like Chiefs and Pirates."

Moshoeu will turn 42 on December 18.

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