Mamelodi Sundowns captain Themba Zwane says the influx of South American talent at the club in recent years has been important to add further quality to an already star-studded squad.
Sundowns, over the years have enjoyed some of the finest South American talent to step foot in South Africa, dating back to the times of Rafael Dudamel, José Torrealba, Jorge Acuna to the more recent Ricardo Nascimento, Gaston Sirino and Lucas Ribeiro – with the latter one of the most impactful, having won the Premier Soccer League Footballer of the Season before a controversial exit.
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Currently, Colombian forward Brayan Leon is making an immediate impact, scoring important goals in the title race, and CAF Champions League with 10 goals already to his name, while the likes of Marcelo Allende and Arthur Sales have become mainstays of the starting XI and integral to their ambitions.
“Those are top players, starting from [Leonardo] Castro, even Leon now, [Ricardo] Nascimento was top, Ribeiro and we always communicate with them well, people always ask me, how do you communicate with them? I say it’s football language,” Zwane explained on the Pitchside With Tabu Peter Podcast.
“The way we understand each other [is football] and most of the time it’s our responsibility [as senior players] for us to make them feel comfortable as soon as possible – so that they can adjust, we know that when they feel free, joke with them at training. Obviously, they are going to perform on the pitch.
“The time they are free and comfortable, if they want to tell you something, they will come to you and say, which is very important and yeah it’s very important for the team to strengthen with these quality players because we know our aim is to dominate in Africa.”
Sundowns moved five points clear at the top of the table after back-to-back wins over Polokwane City and now turn their attentions to Kaizer Chiefs – who they host on Wednesday at Loftus Versfeld, in a fixture that could be pivotal in the title race with Orlando Pirates.
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