Nothing wrong that led to my Sundowns departure, says Tade
Former Mamelodi Sundowns talisman Emiliano Tade has moved to quell speculation about his decision to leave the Brazilians, insisting that he only wanted to retire from professional football.
Former Mamelodi Sundowns striker Emiliano Tade (Photo by Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images)
Earlier this week, Sundowns announced that they had parted ways with the Argentinian striker after he asked to be released from his contract.
READ: Why Tade left Mamelodi Sundowns
Later, coach Pitso Mosimane revealed that Tade wanted to retire from professional football and that he tried to persuade him to stay on, but Tade had already made up his mind.
Speaking to Independent Media before he jetted out of the country on Thursday, Tade confirmed that he was retiring from professional football.
“I’m retiring from professional football but I still want to play. I will play amateur football because I want to work outside of football and professional football doesn’t give you that.
“I’ve studied. I did sustainability and life coaching. I want to focus on that now. I want to focus on life after football,” explained the 32-year-old striker.
“There’s nothing bad. There’s nothing wrong that led to my departure. That’s the most important thing that I need to emphasise.
“My decision was from a combination of things. Playing for a big team like Sundowns as a foreigner, I needed to play regularly but unfortunately, I was injured for a long period of time. That has not happened for me in my career. I felt like I was failing the club. I felt like I was failing to deliver. Every time I came back I got injured.
“I want to thank the coaches at Sundowns. They made me feel appreciated. I went to the coach’s house and explained my situation. He understood and supported me. Obviously, he tried to convince me to stay, but I had already made up my mind,” concluded Tade.
Tade will now go back to New Zealand to be with his family.
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