It is pretty clear that former Mamelodi Sundowns maestro Tiyani Mabunda leads a fulfilling life as he remains within the football space and he now has more time to carry out his duties as a pastor.
The story
Mabunda has long been a God-fearing man, however, during his days as a topflight footballer it was harder to actually recognise this big aspect of his life unless you kept close tabs on the player's off-field life.
Having spent eight glittering seasons at Chloorkop, Mabunda hung up his boots in August 2021 to take up a role as an ambassador of The Brazilians.
His wisdom has now come into full effect as each Sunday, he leads his congregation into prayer, while he remains very hands on when it comes to his Sundowns duties and advancing the brand.
Scroll through the gallery above to have a look at Mabunda's other occupation
In retrospect, the former central midfielder has never kept his faith a secret to football fans. It is often taken for granted how many stars are true to their beliefs, as the spiritual gestures they make are often just looked at as goal celebrations, for example the bow of gratitide that Islam players do after scoring, as well as the short prayers that player take before entering the field of play.
Those are symbolisms of their credence and Mabunda had one particular moment on the field that stands out. In 2017, a picture of former Orlando Pirates star Justice Chabalala and the ex Downs No.13 trended on social for all the right reasons. The two ballers were pictured kneeling on the field, holding their hands in prayer.
At the time, the now-Chippa United defender explained that he Mabunda hail from the same village in Giyani, Limpopo and he has also drawn a lot of strength from his compatriot. Chabalala revealed that him at the retired star were always enemies for the 90-minutes of play, but immediately after that they would always share a prayer together
Your thoughts, please?
Which other former star do you know turned to a surprise career after retiring?