The now 38-year-old who is serving as the head coach for TS Galaxy reserve team played for Amakhosi from 2011 to 2022, making over 280 appearances for them. During his time at the club, Chiefs won the Premier Soccer League twice, the Nedbank and MTN8.
However, the love between the supporters and the player faded and he was jeered at times on the pitch. It got worse when he left for the Rockets.
I am proud of my Chiefs records but…
“I won the Nedbank Cup and MTN 8 with Chiefs but when I left it wasn’t fun because the fans I loved turned against me,” Parker told Isolezwe.
“This was strange to me because I thought I was a favorite and I didn’t know that the fans saw that I was being pushed back because I can play in tricky places. I am also grateful to the psychiatrist who I went to and he warned me that I am a few goals short of holding the record for the top goalscorer in Chiefs since the PSL started.
“This made me jealous but it helped me to reach this record. There are many records that I achieved while at Chiefs such as winning the Golden Boot in 2014, that’s why I say it still hurts when I think about the way I left it.
“I am proud of my records in Chiefs and I will always love the team but it is not easy to convey that the fans I did not look down on were the ones who insulted me when I was trying everything I could to help Chiefs.”
Give Nabi time to deliver
Kaizer Chiefs have since gone for nine seasons without winning any major silverware. Coach Nasreddine Nabi was appointed to help end the unwanted run but the club has been posting inconsistent results.
“Football has its own way of doing things, so I don’t see the need to rush those connected with the Chiefs because it’s still early,” Parker continued.
“It is important that Nabi is given enough opportunity to put his ideas into the team. He is new to the league and the country, so the players are still trying to get used to him.
“Since he is still putting it together, it is easy to make it look like the damage is big. It’s good because here comes the window for the exchange of players, maybe someone has seen that it should be strengthened. He should be given a chance,” the former Bafana Bafana player concluded.
On Monday, Chiefs play TS Galaxy in the Premier Soccer League game.