KickOff.com sat down with Kaizer Chiefs playmaker George Maluleka, who claims he is at his peak as a professional football, but only thanks to the efforts of his team-mates. Kaizer Chiefs players have had two light-bulb moments that preceded their season turnaround. The first was that coach Steve Komphela was going nowhere, unless the Big Chief Kaizer Motaung said so, and the second was that Reneilwe Letsholonyane was gone and they must make do without him, no matter how badly he was missed.

Up stepped George Maluleka, a creative midfielder that’s been thrust into the massive void left by “Yeye”, one which Hendrick Ekstein found difficult to fill. It had been a while since KICK OFF sat and had a chat with “Sjijo” but in this interview, he tells us all about Amakhosi’s season turnaround, the telepathy between him and the other free-kick takers in the team and where his future lies. “I’ve felt good about my performances,” said Maluleka. “I’m at the stage in my career where I’d say I’m at my peak. You can see it in my performances. I am not looking back and I have my teammates to thank for that because they are supportive. We support each other because we want every one of us to perform and prosper. “As the current generation, we always make sure we give something back to the club. The coach always says that a happy player is a performing player. If you’re happy, you’re most likely to perform well when you have to go and do the business. “Our performances are a reflection of our happiness. We are in a very good space at the moment and it shows on the field.”