Former Orlando Pirates captain Oupa Manyisa – ‘I never wanted to play’

Former Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns star Oupa Manyisa is making headlines in the backdrop of his interview with Bettor Pod.

The celebrated central midfielder left Mzansi puzzled when he revealed that he never wanted to play football despite being among the best central midfielders in the DStv Premier League.

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FORMER ORLANDO PIRATES STAR OUPA MANYISA RETIRES FROM FOOTBALL

No doubt his remarks set social media abuzz. Is Oupa Manyisa bitter? Despite being dubbed one of the best stars, his career was marred by injuries, and the star called it quits at 35.

However, he had a disastrous last dance. In the previous five years, he managed 14 appearances in the top-flight league after leaving Sundowns.

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He joined TTM after being released by Sundowns three years into his contract. However, he was released by TTM before his debut. Rumour mill has it that he had contract woes with the club because of his huge salary demand. From there, he switched floors to Chippa United and Platinum City Rovers.

During the interview, he left many puzzled when he revealed that he never wanted to play football. Instead, he was forced to. No doubt his sentiments have since sparked a debate on social media. Many have it that he was bitter because of his disastrous career that was marred by injuries.

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During the interview, he said, “I don’t know, but I never wanted to play, the teachers at school [forced me], and when the school lost, I would get a hiding every Wednesday and Friday. And they said I needed to play football because all my uncles did, which meant something [talent was] there.”

CAREER

Manyisa started off his youth career with Napoli FC (South Africa). He later switched the floor to PJ Stars before joining Africa Sports Youth Academy. Oupa Manyisa had his DStv Premier League debut with Orlando Pirates in 2008.

He left Pirates as a legend in 2017 to join Sundowns. With Pirates, he had over 200 club appearances across all competitions and a cabinet of trophies.

His stint with Mamelodi Sundowns was not as colourful as many thought. He was released after three years and later joined Rovers FC in 2021. Manyisa had two career-threatening injuries that took a toll on his career. He had injuries on both legs.

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