Keagan Buchanan Reflects on Challenging Spell at Kaizer Chiefs - Diski 365

Former Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Keagan Buchanan has opened up about his short and much-discussed tenure at Naturena, offering a candid assessment of what went wrong during his time with the Glamour Boys. Now 33 and serving as CEO of ABC Motsepe League side Hope FC, Buchanan reflected on a period in his career still remembered by fans and pundits. Despite wearing the iconic No.10 jersey, he says he never received the chance to establish himself in the team. "Supporters love football, and sometimes they can talk nonsense, it's only normal," Buchanan told Soccer Laduma. "As a professional sportsman, you're supposed to take criticism. People wrote things like 'worst number 10,' 'useless number 10,' but my mindset has never been about my jersey number." Buchanan highlighted his consistency in high-profile games. "You can ask the best midfielders from every team I played against; they will tell you their game isn't easy when they're playing against me. Most of my Man of the Match awards were against Chiefs, Pirates, or Sundowns because those are the games where I flourish. I like those challenges." He also noted watching other players succeed in his position after his departure, reflecting on how a consistent run might have changed his Chiefs career. "I thought, 'Wow, this guy has no chance.' If I was given that chance, I probably would have been at Chiefs for 10 years. If I had the proper opportunity to get the same minutes as others to blend in, it could have been different." Timing, Buchanan said, also worked against him. "My time at Chiefs was during a transition period. In the first two years after the coach changed, they went from winning everything to winning nothing. I left Chiefs when we had no head coach. I wanted to go on loan while Coach Steve Komphela was still there, and we still have a good relationship today." He emphasized that lack of opportunity, not ability, defined his Chiefs spell. "If I had been given repeated chances over several games, I might not have performed well sometimes, but I would still have had opportunities. At Chiefs during my time, you had to perform immediately. I never failed because I didn't even make 10-plus appearances. I had seven starts. When you don't play, you can't prove yourself." Buchanan insists he has no regrets about his Chiefs tenure. His reflections underline how timing, limited chances, and club transitions affected his ability to make an impact, despite his proven talent and work ethic.