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No Gauteng move for Iqraam amid rumours

Stellies'’ hot striker plans to invest winnings on property

Sihle Ndebele Journalist
Iqraam Rayners during the DStv Premiership match between Stellenbosch FC and Golden Arrows at Danie Craven Stadium on April 29, 2023 in Stellenbosch.
Iqraam Rayners during the DStv Premiership match between Stellenbosch FC and Golden Arrows at Danie Craven Stadium on April 29, 2023 in Stellenbosch.
Image: Bertram Malgas

Stellenbosch ace Iqraam Rayners, who looked a player reborn in the second half of the season, has laughed off speculation linking him to the big three in Mamelodi Sundowns, Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs.

Rayners capped off what was a brilliant second half of the season by winning the Nedbank cup player of the tournament gong at the annual PSL year-end awards, held virtually last Sunday. The 27-year-old striker returned to Stellenbosch in January, having left for SuperSport United in July 2020.

Rayners’s Cape Winelands homecoming saw him hit top form like never before, scoring 15 goals from 14 outings across the league and the Nedbank cup. The striker also became the first player to win back-to-back PSL’s player of the month accolades (February/March and April), since Lebohang Manyama for Cape Town City in the 2016/17 season.

Such is his blistering form in the past four months that Rayners has been linked to a move back to Gauteng with all the big guns in Sundowns, Pirates and Chiefs understood to be keen to sign him. However, the Stellies man has emphasised he’s not aware of these links, saying he’ll still be at Stellies in the new term. 

“I don’t know anything about me joining Chiefs, Pirates and Sundowns. It’s just rumours. People put their own stuff in articles. I’ve never heard anything from all these teams. I will remain a Stellenbosch player for the new season,” Rayners told Sowetan.

Rayners also revealed he was planning to save up his R150,000 Nedbank cup player of the tournament prize money for a property. “I already have two properties, one in Joburg and one in Cape Town...I will save up this money towards buying another property,” Rayners said.

“It was a nice feeling for me to win that award. I am very proud of myself and I am thankful to my teammates because without them I wouldn’t have won it.”

Rayners is also in Bafana Bafana’s preliminary squad to face Morocco in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers on June 17. “I am happy to see my name there in the Bafana squad. It’s a big achievement for me and all I can do from here is to push myself,” Rayners said.

He is also Stellies’ first player to win the player of the month award and has reached 50 goals for the club.

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