Durban — Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Rhulani Mokwena has stated that he expects the winner of the coveted Footballer of the Season award to emerge from his group of players.
When quizzed about where he thought the Footballer of the Season award would land, Mokwena refused to pick out any of his outstanding individuals but expressed his confidence in that person emerging from the Sundowns dressing room.
“If it was up to me, I would give them (the Sundowns players) all Player of the Year,” he said.
“I think the players have been magnificent and I’ve said it in every press conference, the game of football belongs to the players.
“Whoever is (Footballer of the Season), I’m sure they will come from the Sundowns squad because I think there hasn’t been anyone who performed beyond the levels the Sundowns players have performed at.
“It’s going to be difficult, and fortunately I’m not one of the judges, because a lot of the Sundowns players have been exceptional and extremely consistent.”
The likes of Itumeleng Khune, Sibusiso Vilakazi and Thembinkosi Lorch have had the honour of calling themselves the best players in the land in the past, however it's the men from Pretoria who have wrapped up this title recently with Khama Billiat (2016), Percy Tau (2018), Themba Zwane (2020) and Peter Shalulile (2021 & 2022) making this award their own.
Sundowns Academy graduate Cassius Mailula has had a remarkable campaign as the 21-year-old has racked up 12 goals and four assists in 18 appearances this season.
The closest competition is his teammate Ronwen Williams and Orlando Pirates’ Monnapule Saleng, who have both excelled in their respective duties.
While Williams has reinvented himself to fit the style of Sundowns and kept numerous clean sheets, Saleng has already led the Buccaneers to an MTN8 crown and could drag them to continental qualification.
IOL Sport