Former Warriors defender Zvenyika Makonese says he has reduced his beer intake to revive his career.
Makonese is now turning out for Limpopo-based side Black Leopards having joined the club from Castle Premier Soccer League outfit Shabanie Mine.
He joined Shabanie amid reports in South Africa that he had died in a car accident on his way from his former base Orlando Pirates in Johannesburg.
Makonese said the reports about his death depressed and confused him. The steely defender said it was the most difficult period in his career.
He said: The story about my so-called death depressed me a lot. I was confused and did not know what was happening in my life. It was the most difficult period of my life.
Explaining what transpired on the sidelines of a four-team invitational tournament at Peter Mokaba Stadium on Sunday, Makonese said: You know that rumour started after I gave a friend my vehicle when I was coming from South Africa. The car was involved in an accident and people who knew the number plate thought it was me who was in that car.
I wasnt in the car. But the whole drama affected my life.
It was also widely reported that Makonese was sacked from Pirates because of reckless drinking. He was said to have been spotted in downtown Johannesburg partaking of beer with shoeless women around him.
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Pirates did not renew my contract after it expired. All those stories about me drinking in public places were cooked up. People were creating stories about me and I dont know why.
Those stories also affected me a lot, but Im happy I have found a new place here in Polokwane. I have stopped drinking beer on a regular basis. I only drink on special occasions like birthdays, said Makonese.
He has not established himself at Leopards, which is also home to former Warriors gaffer Sunday Chidzambwa and striker Kingstone Nkatha.
I have adjusted to the new life quickly especially on the field of play because I once played in this country. Life here in Polokwane is slower than in Johannesburg and I love that. Johannesburg is too fast, he said.
