Dove pens a heartfelt farewell missive to Amakhosi

Departing Kaizer Chiefs defender Edmilson Dove has thanked the club, particularly owner Kaizer Motaung, for his spell at Naturena, suggesting he'll forever feel part of Amakhosi as it was his "childhood dream" to play for the club.

On Tuesday, Chiefs confirmed that they weren't going to renew Dove's contract when it lapses at the end of this month. The 30-year-old utility left-back had joined Amakhosi from his native Mozambican side UD Songo in August 2022, having first came to SA via Cape Town City, where he spent five years between January 2017 and February 2022. 

"Thank you Mr Chairman for allowing me and my family to be part of the Amakhosi family, [thanks] for allowing me to fulfill a childhood dream,'' Dove wrote on his socials on Wednesday.

"To every coaches, teammates, kit managers, gardeners, kitchen staff and everyone associated with the club that I have had the opportunity of working with, here goes my heartfelt appreciation and gratitude. Each and every day we got to spend together was valuable. The bond created is unbreakable."

The Mozambican defender also admitted it wasn't always smooth sailing during his stint at Naturena, although he lauds tough times for helping him grow not only as a player but as a person as well. 

"It's been a crazy ride of which I have grown not only as a player, but also as a human being. We had our ups and downs, we shed some tears along the way but we also had joyful moments which I will cherish forever,'' Dove noted.

The 2024/25 season's Nedbank Cup success, which  also ended Chiefs' decade-long trophy drought a few months ago,  was the only piece of silverware Dove won at Chiefs.

Did you know?

Dove made 56 appearances in a Chiefs shirt, scoring just two goals.

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