Within a couple of days of signing for Kaizer Chiefs, Renaldo Leaner was on a plane to Spain for a pre-season training camp with his new teammates.

www.kaizerchiefs.com managed to catch up with the 28-year-old goalkeeper during a break at their headquarters in Alicante to recount his whirlwind week.

On his introduction to football:
I come from Cape Town, specifically the Cape Flats. I am very proud to join this Club.

I grew up playing in the streets after school with my friends, always with a ball at my feet. My parents love football and were happy to introduce me to the game. At the time, I just played for fun without knowing where it would take me.

My first club was Matroosfontein for about three to five years. Then I moved to Central AFC in Elsies River until I was about 14 or 15 before Ajax Cape Town scouted me. It was there that I discovered that I could possibly make a life in football and began to take it seriously and went all out to secure a good professional deal. I continued my studies and also completed my degree, and from there, my career took off.

On his goalkeeping heroes:
As a youngster, I used to look up to Itumeleng Khune as a local hero and internationally, Manuel Neuer and Edwin Van Der Sar. They inspired my love for goalkeeping and were people I learned from by observing them on television.

On signing for Kaizer Chiefs:
I have always wanted to play for Chiefs, so when I became a free agent after my contract expired with my previous club, I chose to join Kaizer Chiefs.

Actually, my first time at the Village in Naturena was when I went to sign for Chiefs. I was amazed and impressed by what I saw when they took me on a tour of the facilities. It made me even more eager to start because everything is here to make a world-class training base.

On the camp in Spain:
It’s still like a bit of a shock to me to be in Spain with Kaizer Chiefs right now because everything happened so quickly. I travelled with the team two days after signing. It's very hot here but we have top-quality facilities so the camp is going very well. We are working hard to be in the best shape to get a good start to the new season.

On the Khosi Nation:
I would firstly like to thank you all for welcoming me so warmly. Kaizer Chiefs fans are the most passionate. I have received a lot of love these past days. I have literally been a Chiefs player for less than seven days and already I have a lot of new followers sending so many messages of encouragement on social media. It made me realise I have reached a higher platform than before so it also comes with extra professional responsibility because it’s a bit like having a magnifying glass on you from an exposure point of view. I believe I have the footballing ability and mentality to cope with the added pressure of playing for the biggest Club in the country.

I invite you all to come and support us and we will do everything in our power to make them proud this season because your belief in the team is a great motivator for us to give you reasons to celebrate.