Kaizer Chiefs defender Inacio Miguel admits he might not be the most talented player but is ready to put in the work at Naturena, writes Mazola Molefe.

Kaizer Chiefs coach Nasreddine Nabi sees defender Inácio Miguel playing a special role at the club this season.

The 28-year-old joined AmaKhosi from Petro Luanda in Angola for a reasonable fee and Nabi is confident he ticks all the right boxes of being a quality signing Chiefs have lacked over the years.

“I am very happy with the signing of Inácio because he is a leader and has all the attributes of the profile I want in the team as well as experience,” Nabi said.

Chiefs’ recruitment strategy had been questioned during the transfer window, with many puzzled as to why the Glamour Boys were not closing any deals on any attacking players.

In offering an explanation, Nabi said it was because he and his technical team had taken the decision not to accept mediocrity, especially when they’d been given a handsome budget by the hierarchy to strengthen the team.

Miguel, who cost AmaKhosi around R3 million, was clearly not wasteful expenditure if the coach’s comments are anything to go by.

But why did the centre back accept the Chiefs offer, and what can be expected of him throughout the 2024/25 season?

“It’s the project that Kaizer (Motaung Jnr) talked to me about to make me view that, in the future, they want to do something bigger,” he said.

“I think I won everything at Petro de Luanda in the two years I stayed there, so personally I felt I needed a new challenge, and what better club than Kaizer Chiefs – the sleeping giant – to start something different again, and of course the future project made me move here.”

While he may feel he has reached the ceiling with his former club, Miguel’s numbers from last season also suggest that perhaps Petro were ready to cut ties too, seeing he was more of a squad player.

The Angolan giants finished six points clear to clinch the GiraBola Premier League title and Miguel made 12 appearances from 28 games.

His response about his role at Chiefs addresses both what Miguel and his new employers would prefer to spend less energy on.

“We cannot focus on the past – if we do, maybe we will not do anything different now. Our focus has to go towards the future, and that’s what made me move here. I understand that the club wants to do something different, they want to change, they want to make something that they haven’t made in the past years [win trophies again], and that’s the biggest reason I’m here. I want to try to help my teammates to do something different, and basically that was the main reason for me to move to Kaizer Chiefs,” the player explained.

What does Miguel bring to the table? “I think the fans must come to the stadium – it’s not a good thing just to talk about yourself.

They must come and see for themselves what I can do. What I can say about myself is that I put maximum effort in all the games, at training and everything else that I do,” he elaborated.

“What I have seen in the time I arrived here, is I am not as talented as my teammates. The South African players are very talented, technically. I am different. I put effort, I try to push them and show the best skills that they have.

“I believe this is my best quality – being a teammate, working for the group and giving effort. That is the most important thing for me. I will learn a lot from my teammates as well. Chiefs is a huge club in the country and the most important thing is to now reciprocate the love from the fans with the efforts and daily work on the pitch.”

Miguel comes at a time when Angolan players are suddenly in vogue and will be consious he needs to impress.