Khama Billiat has gone from being the Premier Soccer League Player of the Season to playing in the lowly ranked Zimbabwe PSL. Billiat has hi...
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Khama Billiat has gone from being the Premier Soccer League Player of the Season to playing in the lowly ranked Zimbabwe PSL.
Billiat has hit rock bottom after returning to his native Zimbabwe's Premier Soccer League following a successful career at Mamelodi Sundowns but a not-so-glittery spell at Kaizer Chiefs.At the peak of his powers, Billiat was a world-beater with Masandawana under the leadership of Pitso Mosimane, playing a key role in the club's 2016 Caf Champions League winning campaign.
Billiat was also part of the Sundowns team that remains the only South African side to have played in the Fifa Club World Cup, but all of that is in the past and GOAL looks at how the 33-year-old fell from grace.
Sundowns sold Chiefs a dummy
The best version of Billiat is when he was at Mamelodi Sundowns where he forged a strong partnership with Keagan Dolly and Leonardo Castro, dubbed the 'CBD' - a trio that later played together at Chiefs but were way past their sell-by date.
Like his former Downs teammates, Billiat was no longer the same man he was at Chloorkop and was constantly in the casualty ward or off form during his time in Naturena.
Stubbornness does not pay
Chiefs never admitted or denied this, but the running rumour is that the club offered Billiat a revised contract with a salary cut as they wanted to keep him at Naturena after his deal expired.
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| Khama Billiat: Former Kaizer Chiefs now at Lowly Ranked Club |
However, the Zimbabwean forward opted to leave the club with the hope of securing a more lucrative contract, but he could not find a team that could meet his seemingly high salary, and he has now learnt that in most instances, beggars can't be choosers.
He took a risk, and failed
At 33, Billiat had no business turning down a contract offer from Chiefs. The details of that proposed deal may not be clear, but the perception is that even though Amakhosi felt they did not get their return on investment from Billiat's five years at the club - they would not offer him peanuts.
But he thought, at his age, he would stand a chance to find something better elsewhere and to his surprise, no one really - except Cape Town City - was willing to gamble on a player past his prime.
Chiefs risked it all, and paid the price
Like Orlando Pirates, Sundowns did to Chiefs what many believe the Buccaneers just did to them by selling Downs a Thembinkosi Lorch who is thought to be past his prime.
At 33, Billiat had no business turning down a contract offer from Chiefs. The details of that proposed deal may not be clear, but the perception is that even though Amakhosi felt they did not get their return on investment from Billiat's five years at the club - they would not offer him peanuts.
But he thought, at his age, he would stand a chance to find something better elsewhere and to his surprise, no one really - except Cape Town City - was willing to gamble on a player past his prime.
Chiefs risked it all, and paid the price
Like Orlando Pirates, Sundowns did to Chiefs what many believe the Buccaneers just did to them by selling Downs a Thembinkosi Lorch who is thought to be past his prime.
Given the level of coaching at Sundowns, maybe Lorch's career can be revived, but on the footballing side of things, Chiefs ran a loss by singing Billiat when he was already showing signs of ailing as he was spending more time off the pitch, nursing injuries in his latter days at Sundowns.
A broken legacy
Word has it that the owners of Yadah FC have deep pockets and the rumour is that Billiat is looking to go to Europe via the Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League, but how realistic is that? Billiat is 33 and if there were close to no teams looking to house him in South Africa - there is no retirement home that would look at him abroad.
However, Billiat will be remembered for the 2015/16 season where he won the PSL Footballer of the Season and having been part of Sundowns' all-conquering team under Mosimane's golden years. - The Goal
A broken legacy
Word has it that the owners of Yadah FC have deep pockets and the rumour is that Billiat is looking to go to Europe via the Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League, but how realistic is that? Billiat is 33 and if there were close to no teams looking to house him in South Africa - there is no retirement home that would look at him abroad.
However, Billiat will be remembered for the 2015/16 season where he won the PSL Footballer of the Season and having been part of Sundowns' all-conquering team under Mosimane's golden years. - The Goal
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