Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso says brilliant is the right word to describe midfielder Marcelo Allende and they’ll try their best to keep him as long as they can at the club.
Allende, 27, has been a key member of the Sundowns squad since his arrival in 2022, winning seven trophies with the side including three league titles and the CAF Champions League.
- ALSO READ: Pitso Explains ‘Emotional’ Decision to Drop Mshishi
- Cardoso – Why Van Rooyen Hasn’t Played
The player is currently in the last year of his contract with the Brazilians and has said he wants to focus on giving his all to the club.
Meanwhile, he was also instrumental in Sundowns’ 1-0 victory over Golden Arrows in the quarter-final of the Carling Knockout Cup in Pretoria on Tuesday. He came on as one of the second half substitutes that had an impact in the side scoring the goal.
Cardoso praised Allende’s consistency, how he makes everyone tick on the pitch and his overall professionalism.
“I think you used a fantastic word to speak about Marcelo, brilliant is absolutely a fantastic attractive for him,” said Cardoso.
“I think there’s many players that have been on that stand-up, but he’s so consistent and has been doing it for so many years. As you know, we played against Sundowns, and that Sundowns had Marcelo as a maestro already. You know what is a maestro in English. So, we’re going to do our best I’m pretty sure to keep him in with us for a long time.
“It’s a pleasure to see him training. It’s a pleasure to see him playing. He’s one of the first to arrive, one of the last to go away. He’s a player that runs around 12 kilometres per match consistently. A player that obviously we have a lot of pleasure to know as a human being, he’s absolutely fantastic. Him and his family so lovely, and players like those they become let say, part of our environment, and they help to shape character and attitude. We have many.
“I think that, despite the absence of Teboho [Mokoena], I think [Bathusi] Aubaas has been standing quite well for the level that we want from him. But Marcelo makes all around be better players, no doubt. He makes everybody all round be better players because he can receive balls that sometimes they come not round, they come in a square, you know, a bad pass. Sometimes that comes on the wrong foot, that comes on the wrong time. With more pressure, he can clean it.
“We use a lot the expression “clean the game.” That means for us when we win the ball, not to lose it immediately or to take it to the spaces where there’s more time to play. And Marcelo is very clever under pressure or even without pressure to manage the game and control it and give tempo, and still, he has time to arrive on the box and score.
“Yeah, he’s a very beautiful player to see playing. I enjoy a lot, but most of all, we feel privileged to have a good example of among others, what is a professional player in football because he’s an example, fantastic example.”