Mamelodi Sundowns veteran goalkeeper Denis Onyango has challenged his teammates to add another star on their kit after coming close in previous seasons.
Onyango’s sentiments come as the side prepares to face Sudanese side Al Hilal in a top of the table clash in group C in the CAF Champions League in South Africa’s capital on Friday. The 40 year old Uganda legend is one of the few players in the Sundowns side that won the coveted African club competition in 2016.
Since then the Brazilians have only come close getting eliminated in the knockout phase and last season losing the final to Egypt’s Pyramids FC. Onyango was asked about the conversations he has with the youngsters in his team who haven’t tasted African glory yet. And he said they know what to do, have the capacity and ability to do it and challenged them to change how the badge looks.
“I think the boys they all know what to do,” said Onyango.
“Last season we got very close to winning the Champions League, I believe this season we can do it because we’ve moved closer.
“We’ve been knocked out a couple of times in the quarter-finals, in the semi-finals we lost in the final. So we’re getting there and the boys know that the task ahead is very difficult but we just need to keep fighting.
“African football is very difficult and you can never know who is stronger, even the strong teams lose. The mentality must be always to keep winning and try and get results at home.
“As I say away from home is always difficult. But for me the message is always to fight for the badge, change the way the badge looks right now because we found it without a star, we put a star there. So we need another star and it’s for the boys to make history and lift the team because it’s very, very important to try and always give the best to the team.
“That’s what they are doing. There’s a lot of youngsters in the team of course but we also had youngsters [in 2016] like Percy Tau who were fighting. And I believe we have the same quality in the team right now that can change the badge in terms of winning a star for the club.”
