Kabo Yellow! - Greatest Sundowns Players in the PSL Era


By Joburg Post

Mamelodi Sundowns cemented their status as the undisputed kings of South African football by clinching their 5th PSL Title in a row, taking their Championship tally to an astonishing 12th in the PSL era.

The Pretoria based side has seen many great players local and foreign turning out in the green and yellow, but who makes the list of their top 10 best players of the PSL Era?



1 - Surprise Moriri, the current coach of the club’s MDC side is a club legend who spent 12 seasons at the club joining from Silver Stars in 2004 to 2016. A wonderfully gifted attacking midfielder who created and scored goals, he made it look so easy. Although he lacked pace he made up for it with fast football brain and tremendous technique and top-class application.



2 - Michael Manzini, Mr Reliable played close to 280 matches for the club as the defensive rock upon which many championship victories were built. Manzini also captained the club for several seasons before retiring as a one-club-man in 2009. National team appearances were limited to only 3, but for the club, he was an impregnable force. The tough-as-teak defender was a great credit to the sport.



3 - Dennis Onyango, the 36-year-old shot-stopper is one of the most decorated players at the club. The 1.88m tall colossus has been a steady and calm presence in goals displaying his unquestionable leadership skills, which saw him being voted into the CAF IX a few times, but the pinnacle of his achievements being crowned the Best CAF African-based Player of the year in 2016. The Ugandan native has secured his place in the club’s history as one of the best goalkeepers alongside names such as Mark Anderson, John Tlale and Brian Baloyi just to mention a few.



4 - Esrom Nyandoro, a reliable, dependable and classy midfield anchor who spent a decade at the club. He had a great vision, could read the game well, win the ball cleanly and deliver decisive passes. An incredibly talented player, who was unlucky not to have played in Europe at the top level, a stage his talent merited. A leader who also captained the club and a true gentleman of the game.



5 - Daniel Mudau, a prolific goal poacher, will go down as the team’s greatest ever striker. His 110 goals in the PSL are a testament to his goalscoring instincts. ‘Mambush’ as he is affectionately known was deadly in front of goal and was a leader par excellence in the many many years that he served at the club. His place is secured in the club’s annals as one of the greatest ever strikers at the club in good company with the likes of Bennet Masinga, Lovemore Rambo Chafunya, Andries Chitja and Raphael Chukwu among others.



6 - Alex Bapela, a midfield dynamo who spent 6 trophy-laden seasons at the club after joining from Limpopo side Mahwelereng Real Rovers. A box-to-box midfielder with an eye for the goal scored 31 goals in 125 matches at the club. Strong as an ox, with a big engine, he could run all day. A true legend of the club.



7 - Hlompho Kekana, another highly decorated leader at the club, captained Sundowns to their only Continental victory lifting the CAF Champions League and Super Cup titles. 8 PSL Championships next to his name and well over 200 appearances for the club make him a true great. Kekana had great passing range, long and shot and chipped in with thunder-bolt goals which saw him being nominated for the Puskas Award in 2016 and 2020.



8 - Godfrey Sapula, the ‘Godfather ‘, currently coaching in the club’s youth structures, was a great midfield general who could defend, break the play and initiate attacks. He had the great technical ability and packed a powerful shot which saw him score goals from range. The 2-time league winner is a legend of the club.



9 - Themba Zwane, the mercurial midfielder has been a talismanic figure for the club for the last couple of years, his standout season being 2019/2020 where he was crowned the PSL Footballer of the Season and Players’ Player of The Season. Ashish has been key to the club's success locally and on the continent. A lavishly gifted midfield schemer and also with an eye for goal. He deserves his place amongst the club’s greats. Clive Barker compared his talents to that of the legendary Doctor Khumalo, it’s now easy to see why Barker picked him out to achieve great things when he coached him at Mpumalanga Black Aces while there on loan.



10 - Percy Tau, may have spent just four years on the club’s first team but his contribution proves that it’s not the number of years spent at the club but the impact in that period. A busy little player, full of activity & blessed with pace and a football brain. He was the joint-top scorer in the 2017/2018 season with 11 goals while playing not as an out and out striker. His exploits saw him in the same season crowned PSL Footballer of the Season and Player’s Player of the Season. He also helped the club clinch the 2016 CAF Champions League.

Our Sports editorial teams debated at length before putting this list together. Do you agree with the choices on the list? Which players do you think to deserve to be on this list but were left out?  You can share with us your own list: feedback@joburgpost.com

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