When the option on Khumbulani Banda's contract wasn't renewed in June 2016 little did he know that it would be the beginning of the end of his playing career.
Banda had just come from playing left-back for Maritzburg United where he was signed by Steve Komphela before going on to score his only goal in a famous 1-0 win over Kaizer Chiefs in March 2015.
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Banda was only 27 when events that happened during Ernst Middendorp's tenure influenced the non-renewal of his contract.
"Once football is done that is when we end up making a lot of crazy and wrong decisions that have severe effects," points out Banda as he looks back.
"I take responsibility for all the decisions that I made that came after Steve Komphela left Maritzburg.
"I was signed by Komphela but he left I wasn't the preferred choice.
"What happened was that after the two-year option on my contract wasn't exercised at Maritzburg I should have remained and looked for a club instead of going back home.
"However, as home sick as I was, I then decided to go back home and relax while assessing my options.
"That was the biggest mistake that I made.
"I must blame myself for this because it all went south from there.
"I got home and broke my hand and damaged my eye which remains partially blind up to now.
"Through that period, I had a child who passed away which made those six months a hell of a time for me.
"After that, my manager Edzai Kasinauyo got me an opportunity to come and train with Mamelodi Sundowns after they showed interest in me.
"However, I struggled because my hand wasn't properly healed, and I couldn't do some of the exercises during the pre-season.
"The opportunity to join Sundowns went up just like that and I take the blame because of everything that happened prior to that.
"After that I ended up going to get my hand operated at Bara (Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital).
"Beyond everything related to football, I'm grateful that my wife never left me.
"She stood by me through thick and thin and helped me through the process of dealing with my faith as I now have a church that I go to here in Polokwane.
"My wife never decided that just because my football career was over, and my eyesight affected then she would leave me.
"I'm now walking another path because of her and I'm grateful for that.
"Most important I'm grateful that I'm still alive and able to have this opportunity," says Banda who also provides details about his trials at SuperSport United in 2010.
"The day Siphiwe Tshabalala scored that opening goal at the World Cup, I watched that game at the airport on my way to SuperSport United.
"I was still young at the time and just got scared upon arriving at SuperSport.
"I trained with them, but I could feel that I wasn't ready for a contract because I didn't do anything better than the players that they already had at left-back," he notes.
Banda is now attached to grassroots projects operating in Polokwane.