SuperSport United winger Lyle Lakay says winning a CAF inter-club title is his target after winning every domestic title possible while at Mamelodi Sundowns.
Lakay ended his six-year stint at Sundowns with a return to SuperSport this season, the club where he started his professional career.
Having played most of his career as a winger, the Old Mutual Academy product went out on loan to the now-defunct FC Cape Town twice, before spells at Bloemfontein Celtic and Cape Town City, leading to a lucrative move to Masandawana under then-coach Pitso Mosimane.
While the general consensus was that his move was career suicide as the squad was packed with attacking talent, Lakay converted into a wing-back role and emerged as one of the leading performers for the Brazilians, capped off with a PSL Defender of the Season honour in the 2021/22 season.
“There were many people that personally asked me why I joined Sundowns, but I’m a person that believes in myself, I always say – even when I speak to players now or at Cape Town City, you won’t know [if you will make it] if you don’t try,” he told iDiski Times about his move to Sundowns.
“If you don’t test the water you won’t know. If you really want to play, put in the work, there’s a verse I believe in, ‘faith, without work is dead’ so for me, if I believe and I put in the work, something will give.”
Lakay won four league titles, Telkom Knockout, Nedbank Cup and MTN8 but the furthest mark in the CAF Champions League was the semi-finals in the 2018/19 season and he feels his time at Sundowns was a resounding success for his career, which ended abruptly with a loan to City last season before the permanent exit to Matsatsansa.
“It was always my belief [to test myself] and look how it turned out at the end of the day. It was a success you know, six years if I add the year at City, eight trophies, won everything domestically, no Champions League though, but I would say it was a success,” he explained.
“As you said, I could now potentially end my career at SuperSport [where I started it], it’s good, it would be nice to finish here, and finish on a high, where it began and it would be a cherry on top [to win a CAF title] here.
“It’s good to be back, so far, so good, irrespective of the hiccup now mid-week, but ya I believe we can compete and we will compete for everything on the table.”
Lakay represented Sundowns 162 times, scoring 13 goals and registering 26 assists over a glittering spell of silverware.
