Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder Marcelo Allende is unbothered about receiving no accolades at the Premier Soccer League awards since his arrival at the club.
Allende, who turned 25 in April is widely considered one of the finest midfielders on the continent at present and has emerged a vital component of Sundowns’ midfield.
- ALSO READ: Mngqithi Straightforward About Lorch
- Mngqithi Reveals Major Tactical Change After Mokwena
Since his reported $3-million transfer from Uruguayan side Montevideo City Torque, the one-time capped Chile international has been a mainstay in the starting line-up with 77 appearances since July 2022.
And while they have dominated the domestic scene, several Sundowns players perhaps have been overlooked due to squad rotation in the league as they compete for multiple honours, with Allende amongst those affected.
“Ah well, I don’t wanna say I’m disappointed to [not have won any PSL awards] because for me I prefer the trophy you know? It’s a sport of a group, so for me, the most important thing is to win the trophies,” Allende said.
“For me, the disappointment was not winning the MTN8, not winning the Nedbank [Cup], not winning the [CAF] Champions League. So for this year, it’s the challenge I have personally after the individual things [are secondary]. So for me, it doesn’t matter.
“I’m happy here because I play a lot of games, so when they players play many games of course we improve every day, I’m so happy here and this is my challenge in this season, to play, play play.”
With eight goals and eight assists since his arrival, one of the minor criticisms has been that his talent should bring more goal contributions.
“Of course, every player has their [own] challenges, I think I agree with you,” he said about his lack of goal contributions.
“I think I can create more goals, more assists, for me and of course for Sundowns.”
Allende and his side kick off their 2024/25 campaign on Sunday against Polokwane City at the Lucas Masterpieces Moripe Stadium at 15h00.
