Gonese, the former Masvingo star has been a member of Emmanuel Makandiwa’s United Families International Church for years, and he now wants to play an active role in the church where he helps with crowd control and security.

Gonese – who says he has bought cars and a house – also recently opened a restaurant in Chitungwiza and says that it also needs his time.

But what convinced Gonese that his time on the football pitch was up was the much-publicised clashes between United coach Sean Connor and his assistant Lloyd Chitembwe. “You go to training and you get two different instructions. Then you wonder how you are supposed to perform,” Gonese explained.

“At one stage, I was accused of being involved in some gossip and a coach told me that he would end my career. It’s no longer a training. It’s not exciting and you cannot continue playing. I think this is the right decision for me.”