In a refreshingly honest interview, former Kaizer Chiefs midfielder
Keagan Buchanan has broken his silence on his brief and often-criticized
spell at Naturena, revealing a story of untapped potential and a career
chapter defined by timing and a lack of opportunity rather than failure.
Now 33 and retired as a player, serving as CEO of ABC Motsepe League side
Hope FC, Buchanan reflected on a period that still intrigues fans—a time
when he wore the iconic No. 10 jersey but never had the runway to make it
his own.
A Mindset Unshaken by Criticism
Addressing the external noise that surrounded his tenure, Buchanan displayed
a veteran’s perspective. “Supporters love football, and sometimes they can
talk nonsense, it’s only normal,” he told PSLSA. “As a professional
sportsman, you’re supposed to be able to take criticism.” He dismissed
labels like “worst number 10” as irrelevant, stating, “My mindset has never
been about my jersey number.”
He backed his self-belief with a compelling statistic, claiming his best
performances came against the league’s elite. “If I’ve got 20 Man of the
Match awards, 15 are against Chiefs, Pirates, or Sundowns… I like those
games because I want to play against the best, and I take it as a
challenge.”
The Frustration of Watching from the Sidelines
The core of Buchanan’s reflection centers on the lack of a consistent
opportunity. He watched subsequent players in his position get the extended
run he was never afforded. “I look at players who played there after me… I
thought, ‘Wow, this guy has no chance.’ If I was given that chance… I
probably would have been at Chiefs for 10 years,” he asserted.
He believes that with the same patience given to others, his story would be
different. “It wasn’t like a period where you could say, ‘Hey, I was given
an opportunity, and I failed.’ I never failed because I didn’t even make
10-plus appearances. How can I fail?”
A Perfect Storm of Bad Timing
Buchanan pinpointed the club’s turbulent state as a major factor. His
arrival coincided with a difficult transitional period. “In the first two
years after the coach changed, they went from winning everything to winning
nothing. There were different pressures going on,” he explained, adding that
he ultimately left when the team had no head coach.
Despite the unfulfilled potential, Buchanan holds no bitterness, maintaining
a good relationship with former coach Steve Komphela. “I always say I have
no regrets. I don’t want to sulk and say, ‘What if.’ I’m just speaking
hypothetically.”
His final analysis is simple: he wasn’t defeated on the pitch, but was never
truly allowed to compete for his place. With only seven starts to his name,
his legacy at Chiefs remains one of unanswered questions.
