Kyetume FC captain Vincent Kayizzi has recalled how he interacted with senior Kampala Capital City Authority FC when he signed for them as a student in 2003.
Kayizzi was spotted by the Kampala side in a friendly between Standard High and Police and coach Sam Ssimbwa ensured he signed for the heavyweights thereafter.
The veteran Ugandan coach had described Kaizyizzi as 'a gem who only needed polishing' which meant he had seen a bright future in the boy.
“I was excited because this was a dream come true,” Kayizzi told Daily Monitor of his KCCA arrival.
Then KCCA was brimming with talent and big names like Abubakar Tabula, Asan Bajope, Alimansi Kadogo, Noah Kasule and Tony Mawejje with Kayizzi revealing the young players could not easily talk with the seniors.
“The junior players couldn’t mix with the stars. For two years, I only came in the evening to train and return to school. We could only speak with senior players on the pitch,” he revealed.
“I am lucky to have played with seniors like them. I kept a close eye on how they practised and it helped me grow.”
Among the senior stars, Kayizzi talked to first was Tabula and recalls how a physical contact between them, at one moment, almost halted the training proceedings.
“He was playing at left-back and as a winger, I met him so often. He was hard and physical. One time his challenge on me brought a premature end to training as everyone thought I had broken a leg,” said the widely-travelled forward.
The Ugandan international got a deal in 2008 under his agent Petrovic Vincetej and with the help of former SC Villa and the Cranes coach Milutin ‘Micho’ Sredojevic, he signed for Serbia's Second Division side FK Srem.
Initially, he was set to join Toronto FC in the Major Soccer League (MLS) but the deal never materialised.
“I struggled with the language and culture. I never met any black person in the town but it taught me that you have to be determined to get anything good out of life,” he said recalling his Serbian stint.
He, in 2015, alongside Mike Mutyaba left Vipers SC after they had won the Ugandan Premier League (UPL) title and both settled at Express FC.
“There was no salary. My car [a Toyota Spacio] was actually fuelled by fans from time to time,” he says regarding his time at Express.
KCCA coach Mike Mutebi took him and won the 2016/17 season title.
“That is my best year ever in football,” Kayizzi says of his moment at KCCA after a tumultuous Express stay.
Currently playing at Kyetume, Kayizzi reveals why he had to sign for them despite his otherwise glamorous past.
“It was a simple choice as they had ambitions to go up. Nothing will make me happier than when we survived relegation in our first season [in the top-flight],” he concluded.
