ALLIE: IT’S ABOUT DISCIPLINE, DOING THE RIGHT THINGS
27 April 2020
In this interview, Team of Choice defender Nazeer Allie emphasises the importance of discipline in a footballer's career – a characteristic he epitomises.
The Capetonian really is the model professional and that can be seen by his outstanding performances for Maritzburg this season – the 34-year-old has been rock solid in the centre of defence and has featured in 21 of 24 league matches in the 2019/ 20 campaign.
His energy and commitment belie his veteran status. Now in his 15th year in the Premier Soccer League, Allie clearly knows what it takes to make it as a professional footballer and how to maintain that career. Focus, humility and discipline are some of the key factors, as he explains:
“For me when I get the opportunity I just try to do the best for the club on the field,” he said. “Or to just be there with the team and help them to improve by winning games. It’s about contributing to the team’s success and the direction the team wants to go in.
“I look after myself as well as I can. That’s keeping me going so far. It’s about discipline off the field, keeping my body in shape, doing the right things. That contributes to a longer career,” added the former Ajax Cape Town and Bidvest Wits defender, who has a league title as well as Telkom Knockout and MTN8 winners’ medals to his name.
With the current lockdown scenario, it’s more important than ever to maintain self-motivation and a work ethic, as Allie points out:
“It’s very difficult because as footballers we are used to training in a group. Now the training is a bit different, we get programs and have to do it individually. So its difficult but at least we stay inside and keep safe. So we have to keep out discipline with that.”
Looking back at the 2019/ 20 campaign, Allie feels that Maritzburg were getting better and better as the season progressed.
“At the start of the season it was a bit tricky, because we drew and lost in our first five games,” he said. “But after that we picked up momentum and started doing well, got some consistency. We were in the Telkom Knockout final, we could have won the cup final. But so far it’s been good, we’ve improved step by step. The break didn’t come at a good time for us because we were on a good run.”
Allie signed off the interview with a message to the Team of Choice supporters, the Blue Army:
“To the Blue Army, I just want to say thank you for your support this season and I hope you and your families are keeping safe and that we can see you back when we eventually start. I just want to wish everyone to keep safe and well.”
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