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Gyimah: The day I left Pirates, that's when everything stopped

Former Orlando Pirates defender Edwin Gyimah says he still regrets his decision to leave the Soweto giants.

The 29-year-old former Ghana international left the Buccaneers for Swedish side Helsingborg in 2017.

But after just one season in the Swedish top-flight, Gyimah returned to South Africa signing with Bidvest Wits, ahead of joining Black Leopards in 2019.

Gyimah put in a request to leave Pirates following an argument with then-coach Muhsin Ertugral.

But speaking to KickOff, the player said that did not impact his decision.

"With the Pirates thing it's really about something that's outside football that I couldn't control, that affected me to take that decision. It wasn't about the Muhsin incident at all. It was something off the field that pushed me to take that decision," Gyimah said, who can play in midfield as well.

"You know there are a lot of players who are being influenced by people outside of football. Some will say 'you are playing for Pirates but maybe if you leave Pirates you can go to Europe, you can go here'... you know there are so many things. There are so many kinds of advisors that a player gets off the field."

He added: "You know leaving Pirates was the biggest decision in my life that I could take. I regret leaving Pirates because I feel like there was so much in me that I could have offered for the team.

"The supporters loved me, everybody loved me at Pirates, there were no problems there. I feel like I could offer so much for the team, even now I think like I could offer so much.

"The day I left Pirates, that's when everything stopped in my career. That's when everything stopped in my life."

- TEAMtalk media

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