South African shot stopper reveals surprise retirement and upcoming ventures after trophy triumph

Keet guided Durban City to the Nedbank Cup championship on Saturday via a 2-1 win against TS Galaxy in the decisive match, and right away he declared his retirement at the seasons close.

This comes even though the 36 year old has been among the top performers in net this term, achieving 12 shutouts in 26 league matches.

It feels good to bow out at the peak, wrapping up the season strongly and then hanging up the gloves, Keet shared with Michael Morton. It is wonderful to conclude with a champions medal. The Nedbank Cup marks my initial silverware and it will be my final one.

The separation from family in Cape Town while I am in Durban has been challenging. I am eager to begin my coaching path and arrangements are set to launch that.

There might have been additional years on the pitch, yet perhaps fresh challenges await. Coaching comes next, though I will not disclose the location just yet, we can sort that out in due course.

Keet reflects that the challenging periods stand out most from his professional journey, which featured a fruitful period in Belgium at Kortrijk.

Trophies are always memorable. However, truthfully, it is the difficult moments that linger. The constant battles every week. We battled intensely this week for this encounter, he remarked.

Keet began as a youth at Ajax Cape Town and also featured for amateur clubs Edgemead Goodwood and Bothasig prior to earning a spot with Santos reserve squad and then Vasco da Gama, all based in Cape Town.

His breakthrough arrived upon joining BidVest Wits and debuting in the Betway Premiership during the 2008/09 campaign, propelling his career forward.

He enjoyed two stints at Wits, accumulating 139 appearances in total. In Belgium, he represented Kortrijk with 142 outings, and OH Leuven with 10 appearances, before heading back to South Africa for Cape United, where he had six games, followed by Cape Town City with 105 appearances.

He joined Durban City for this seasons start and has notched 33 appearances so far across competitions, bringing his overall count to 435. Durban City face four remaining fixtures this term.

His honours include the Betway Premiership title with BidVest Wits in 2016/17, plus the Nedbank Cup, Carling Knockout, and MTN8, all secured with Wits.

His final of 13 appearances for Bafana Bafana occurred in 2020.