Mamelodi Sundowns F.C.

Mamelodi Sundowns Football Club (simply known as Sundowns) is a South African professional football club based in Mamelodi, Pretoria in the Gauteng province that plays in the Premier Soccer League, the first tier of South African football league system. Founded in the 1970s, the team plays its home games in the Loftus Versfeld Stadium.

Mamelodi Sundowns
Full nameMamelodi Sundowns Football Club
Nickname(s)
  • Bafana ba Style
  • Masandawana
  • Ka bo Yellow
  • Shoe Shine and Piano
  • The Brazilians
Short name
  • Sundowns
  • SUN
  • MSD
Founded1970; 54 years ago (1970)
GroundLoftus Versfeld Stadium
Capacity51,762
OwnerPatrice Motsepe
ChairmanTlhopie Motsepe
Head coachMiguel Cardoso[1]
LeagueBetway Premiership
2023–241st (champions)
Websitesundownsfc.co.za
Current season
Active departments of
Mamelodi Sundowns
Football (Men's) Football B (Men's)
Football (Women's) Football B (Women's)

It is currently[when?] the most successful football club in the South African PSL era. They won the 2016 CAF Champions League, 2017 CAF Super Cup and were voted the 2016 CAF Club of the Year. Domestically, they have also won the Nedbank Cup six times, the MTN 8 four times and the Telkom Knockout four times. They are the first South African team to compete in the FIFA Club World Cup, where they finished in 6th place. In 2021, Sundowns became the first club in Africa to win both CAF Champions League and CAF Women's Champions League[2] titles. In 2023, Sundowns was crowned the champions of the first African Football League.

Sundowns is owned by South African business magnate Patrice Motsepe and is one of the most valuable clubs in Africa, by market value.[3] The club takes pride in its unique style of attacking play, locally dubbed "Shoe Shine & Piano" which includes combinations of quick, short passes on the ground and this is likened to the Spanish Tiki-taka and Total Football. Over the years, this style of play has been reflected in its Youth teams and women's football team.

History

edit

1964–1970: Beginnings

edit

Sundowns Football Club originated around Marabastad, a cosmopolitan area north west of the Pretoria CBD in the early sixties, where it was formed by a group of youngsters residing in the area. The club mentions individuals such as Frank "ABC" Motsepe, Roy Fischer, Ingle Singh and Bernard Hartze and as part of its founding young stars.[4] The newly established team was named Marabastad Sundowns after an amateur club called Sundowns, which existed in the 1940s, also formed in Marabastad.[5]

 
Headquarters of Mamelodi Sundowns FC in Chloorkop in Pretoria.

In 1969, Ingle "Jinx" Sigh, one of the founding players for Sundowns and later owner of both Marabastad Sundowns and Pretoria City (which later became SuperSport United F.C.),[6] decided to sell the club to Dr. Bonny Sebotsane, Dr. Motsiri Itsweng and philanthropist Joseph Ntshimane "Fish" Kekana. The club was moved to the nearby township of Mamelodi and was officially established and renamed as Mamelodi Sundowns in 1970.[7]

1970–1988: Zola Mahobe, Stan Tshabalala and the "Mr Cool" Years

edit

The club was affiliated with the Federation Professional Football League in 1973 and in the same year reached the finals of the Coca-Cola Cup, where they played against Berea United and lost 5–3.

In 1978, the Federation Professional League threw their weight behind the then National Professional Soccer League. This meant the end of the Federation Professional League and the subsequent relegation of Sundowns to the second division. For five years 'Downs battled to gain promotion and managed to earn its place in NPSL in 1983, but in their first season in top-flight football, they found the going difficult and during that period the Sundowns' management resolved to disband the club, until new owner Zola Mahobe came on board in 1985.[4]

In the same year, 1985, South African football was the first sport in the country to become non-racial and the National Soccer League was formed, incorporating the top clubs in the country, including Sundowns. Dave Barber was in charge at the start of the new National Soccer League era but his tenure came to a swift end after the club found itself at the foot of the table and Zola Mahobe appointed Walter da Silver. Da Silver later quit after 5 games before the end of the season, claiming that Mahobe was interfering in team selection.[8]

Zola Mahobe appointed Ben Segale as the coach, and the team ended the 1985 season in a flourish by winning the last 4 games to finish 11th place, which was a big improvement on their previous two top flight seasons. Under Mahobe, Sundowns fortunes changed for the better as they began to challenge for top honours in the domestic league. The big spending Sundowns boss recruited the services of elite South African footballers on a quest for supremacy, and changed their kit to resemble that of the Brazilian national team, earning them their nickname, "the Brazilians".[9]

Mahobe went to Soweto to acquire the services of the highly rated coach Stanley "Screamer" Tshabalala, who was assisting Blackpool at the time, to lead the ambitious Sundowns team. Under the tutelage of Screamer Tshabalala, Sundowns played an entertaining and effective brand of football which became known as "The Shoe Shine and Piano." By the end of 1986, the club had won the Mainstay cup in a 1-0 brawl against Jomo Cosmos in Ellis Park and goalkeeper, Mark Anderson was voted Footballer of the Year as new players kept arriving. The next season, they finished third in the league, just three points behind champions Cosmos.

Sundowns were flying in 1988, with a victory against cross-town rivals Arcadia in the final of BP Top Eight Cup, and then later beating them again for the Ohlsson's Challenge Cup.[10] Despite winning two trophies that year, trouble was brewing in the camp when players, led by Anderson demanded the resignation of coach Tshabalala and his assistant Trot Moloto. Stan resigned from his position, with a record of 54 wins, 29 draws and 25 losses. Captain, Mike Ntombela took charge over the club for four games while the management looked for a coach.[8]

In the same year, the ownership of the club fell into the hands of Standard Bank, which repossessed the club from Zola Mahobe. The club went into liquidation and the football family Angelo and Natasha Tsichlas spoke to the bank and saved the club. They then formed a company with Abe Krok and bought 100% of the club.

1988–1995: Tsichlas/Krok leadership and First Championship

edit

Chilean coach, Mario Tuane and his assistant Angelo Tsichlas took charge of a club at the top of the table and led it to its first league championship. There were rapturous celebrations at HM Pitje Stadium after Sundowns gained an unassailable point lead over Cosmos. However, the club could not defend the Ohlsson's challenge and BP Top Eight crowns and the Tuane era came to an end, with Angelo Tsichlas taking charge of the team as a caretaker coach until the club appointed Trott Moloto, and shortly after Stan Lapot. In the '89 season, Sundowns went on a 7-game unbeaten run in the league, but could only win one of their last 6 matches in the league, which ended the club's season at position 5.

This prompted the return of Stan Tshabalala, who took the team to the top of the table again in 1990. Sundowns only lost 2 league games during the campaign and won its first treble, managing to win the Top Eight Cup and the JPS Knockout Cup against Orlando Pirates with a 2–1 scoreline in the final.

This success was followed by a season of heartbreaking losses in 1991, with the team finishing second place in the league and failing to get into any cup final. 1992 was similar under Augusto Palacios, when Sundowns lost both the Top Eight cup and Castle Challenge to rivals Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates respectively, finishing 6th in the league.

Jeff Butler was appointed as the coach in 1993 after being turfed in a dispute with Bafana Bafana. He led the club to a 3rd league title win in a close 3 point race against Moroka Swallows and a 4th place league finish in the following year. Sundowns qualified for a continental title for the first time in the 1994 African Cup of Champions Clubs but lost to AS Vita Club in the second round.

1995–2004: Premier Soccer League and the Ted Dimitru era

edit

National Soccer League was replaced by Premier Soccer League for the 1996–97 season. After a flurry of coaches and players came, went, and a third Stan Tshabalala stint in unsuccessful '96 and '97 campaigns, Sundowns signed Raphael Chukwu from Nigerian club, Shooting Stars S.C. and appointed Ted Dumitru as head coach in July 1997. Raphael's partnership with Daniel Mudau proved to be prolific in front of posts.[11] Backed up by a super team of standout players such as Joel Masilela, Alex Bapela, Isaac Shai, Roger Feutmba and goalkeeper John Tlale amongst others, Sundowns went on to win three consecutive league titles from 1998 to 2000 as well as being Bob Save Super Bowl winners in 1998 and Rothmans Cup winners in 1999.

In 2001, Sundowns focused their efforts on continental glory and became only the second South African team to reach the prestigious CAF Champions League Final when they defeated Petro Atlético in the semifinals. The club played the 2001 CAF Champions League Final where they were defeated 4–1 on aggregate by Egyptian club Al Ahly.

The club underwent a period of rebuilding after the 1999/2000 season, enduring a period of bad performances in league and cup matches. Sundowns finished 3rd in the 2001/02 season, 10th in the 2002/03 season, 5th in the 2003/04 season and again 3rd in the 2004/05 season.

2004-present: Patrice Motsepe ownership

edit

In 2004, mining magnate Patrice Motsepe bought a 51% share in the club and later took total control of the club by buying the remaining shares, thus becoming the sole owner and shareholder of the club. Under their new owner, Sundowns picked up their first piece of silverware for six years in May 2006 when co-coaches Miguel Gamondi and Neil Tovey oversaw Sundowns' triumph in the PSL, the seventh league title in their history.

After a slow start to the 2006–07 season, Gamondi and Tovey were relieved of their positions, and Gordon Igesund took over as head coach. Under Igesund, Sundowns defended their title in emphatic style, running away with the trophy. They failed to win the 'double', losing to Ajax Cape Town in the 2007 ABSA Cup final.

A stuttering start to the 2009–10 season saw an impressive run through the second half of the season which propelled the club to second position in the final league standings. The club nevertheless parted ways with coach Hristo Stoichkov.

In the 2010–11 season, Antonio Lopez Habas, who was the assistant coach under Stoichkov, took over the reins of the senior team. Sundowns made its best ever start to a League season and topped the league standings at the end of the first round. The second round of the league proved more competitive and Sundowns were in the hunt for the league title until the second last match. Habas resigned in February, citing personal reasons and went back to Spain. Assistant coach Ian Gorowa was appointed as interim head coach.

In 2011, highly rated Dutch tactician Johan Neeskens was appointed as the coach of Sundowns in a bid to awaken the sleeping giant that hadn't won silverware since winning the 2008 Nedbank cup. The Dutch-born coach gave a number of young players from the development team opportunities to impress in the senior team. Even though the Dutch mentor made the team play free-flowing and an entertaining brand of football, his failure to capture silverware led to his demise. On 4 March 2012, under the leadership of Neeskens, the team set a remarkable South African record in the Nedbank Cup when they beat Powerlines by a score of 24–0.[12][13] The club went on to lose the 2012 Nedbank final 2–1 to Tshwane rivals Supersport United. His coaching stint at Chloorkop was short-lived as the impatient and demanding Sundowns supporters exerted pressure to the management to sack him. When the team failed to win the 2012 Telkom Knockout final against Bloemfontein Celtic, Neeskens got sacked as the head coach of the Tshwane-based side as the team was also languishing in the relegation zone.

2012–2019: The Pitso Mosimane Era

edit

On 2 December 2012, Pitso Mosimane took over as head coach and guided a turbulent Sundowns season to 9th place in the league. The 2013/14 season began on a better note, with a 6-game unbeaten streak including a 7-1 thumping of AmaZulu F.C. at home. However, in the mid-season, team performances became inconsistent and Sundowns found itself 11 points behind log leaders Kaizer Chiefs. There was still positivity in the camp however, and Mosimane was confident about a good end to the season. On 9 March 2014, Sundowns began an 11-game unbeaten streak that would end in an emphatic league title win after a 6-year trophy drought.[14]

The acquisition of Khama Billiat in August 2013, Keagan Dolly and Leonardo Castro in the 2014/15 season bolstered the Sundowns attacking order that was backed by Hlompho Kekana, Samuel Mabunda, Themba Zwane, Teko Modise and academy wonder Percy Tau. The team finished 2nd in the league in the 2014 season, but won both the Nedbank Cup and Telkom Knockout. This would begin an era dominance in the league and Sundowns won the 2015/2016, 2017/2018, 2018/2019 and 2019/2020 league titles on the trot. 2015/16 was a record breaking season, which saw Sundowns become the first team to break the 70 point ceiling in the league since the South African top flight league became a 16-team league system.

In 2017, Mosimane oversaw Sundowns' first CAF Champions League win, which was the goal of owner Patrice Motsepe when he bought the club in 2004. Sundowns were eliminated in the preliminary rounds of the 2016 CAF Champions League, but were placed back in the competition after Congolese team Vita Club were disqualified from the competition for fielding a suspended player.[15] In their journey for gold, Sundowns opened their campaign with an annulled 2–0 win against Algeria's ES Setif courtesy of Mabunda and Khama Billiat goals.

2017 CAF Champions Win

edit

On 26 June 2016, they faced Nigeria club Enyimba International F.C. at Lucas Moripe Stadium. They defeated the Nigerians 2–1 with goals from Leonardo Castro and Wayne Arendse in the 42nd and 78th minutes, respectively. Their good form continued to Egypt, defeating Egyptian club Zamalek SC with a goal from Mabunda in the 17th minute, followed by an Ibrahim leveller in the 36th minute, prevailing with a 66th-minute goal from their star player Khama Billiat, which ended the match in favour of the Brazilians 2–1. They repeated this in the 2nd leg by beating the Egyptian club 1–0 with an own goal from Ali Gabr in the 79th minute. The win assured 'Downs a place in the semifinals, but they needed to end their group stage campaign on a high away against Enyimba. Playing with young players, 'Downs succumbed to their first defeat by 3–1 on a rainy slippery field.

In the semifinals, they faced Zambian team ZESCO United at the Levy Mwanawasa Stadium, where they lost to quick succession goals just a minute apart in the 54th and 56th minutes from Mwanza. Billiat netted a goal in the 86th minute to bring the score to 2–1, leaving 'Downs with much to do in the second leg. In the second leg, 'Downs did what was needed of them by winning the match 2–0, thanks to a goal from Liberian Anthony Laffor in the 5th minute and the young Percy Tau in the 64th minute. Mamelodi Sundowns F.C. reached the final of the competition for the first time since the 2001 CAF Champions League final (where they lost to Al Ahly SC). They also reached the 4th final for South African clubs (1 win and 2 losses).

In the final, they beat Egypt's Zamalek SC 3–1 on aggregate, claiming their first-ever continental title and becoming only the second South African team to be crowned champions of Africa, after Orlando Pirates.[15]

Starting lineup for CAF Champions League 2016 Final, 1st leg

Sundowns went on to win the 2017 CAF Super Cup in Loftus Versfeld Stadium by defeating TP Mazembe from the DRC in the same season.[16] The club made the bold signings of Gaston Sirino from Bolivar and an ailing Rivaldo Coetzee in 2018. Despite losing a number of valuable players in the previous season, the club maintained good performances in domestic cups, winning a domestic treble (league, Telkom Knockout and Nedbank Cup) in the 2018/19 season.

2020-present: Rhulani Mokwena & Manqoba Mngqithi

edit
 
Mamelodi Sundowns FC in a friendly game against Go Ahead Eagles in 2023.

In 2020, the team underwent changes in coaching personnel for the first time in almost 7 years and an influx of new players after the departure of Pitso Mosimane. The club appointed former assistant coaches, Rhulani Mokwena and Manqoba Mngqithi as joint Head Coaches with the opinion of Manqoba Mngithi prevailing when there isn't consensus.[17] The club's board was keen on appointing South African coaches, and later appointed Steve Komphela as a senior coach to assist the coaching pair. The trio saw off a season which saw the rise of new top scoring marksman, Peter Shalulile and standout signings such as Neo Maema, Rushine De Reuck amongst many others. The club celebrated a successful 5th consecutive league win and a Nedbank Cup which showed that the club was heading in a good direction.

2021/22 was another record breaking league season played under Covid restrictions.

Honours

edit
Type Competition Titles Seasons
Domestic Premier Soccer League / National Soccer League 17 Winners (17): 1988, 1989–90, 1992–93, 1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2013–14, 2015–16, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24
Runners-up (5): 1990–91, 1994–95, 2009–10, 2014–15, 2016–17
Bob Save Superbowl/Nedbank Cup 6 Winners (6): 1986, 1998, 2008, 2014–15, 2019–20, 2021–22
Runners-up (7): 1989, 2000, 2001, 2007, 2011–12 [2023]
Telkom Knockout 4 Winners (4): 1990, 1999, 2015, 2019
Runners-up (5): 1997, 1998, 2007, 2012 [2024]
MTN 8 4 Winners (4): 1988, 1990, 2007, 2021
Runners-up (7): 1992, 1994, 2001, 2002, 2008, 2016, 2023
African CAF Champions League 1 Winners (1): 2016  
Runners-up (1): 2001
CAF Super Cup 1 Winners (1): 2017
African Football League 1 Winners (1): 2023

[18]

  •   Record
  • S Shared record

Awards

edit
  • African Club of the Year 2016
  • South African team of the year 2016
  • PSL team of the season 2015–16, 2013–14

Friendly cup competitions

edit

Shell Helix Cup Winners : 2018

Telkom Charity Cup

  • Winners(5) : 1991, 2000, 2004, 2005, 2006

Carling Black Label Cup

Ohlsson's Challenge Cup

  • Winners : 1988

Performance in CAF Competitions

edit

NB: South African football clubs started participating in CAF Competitions in 1993, after 16 years of being banned from FIFA due to the apartheid system. The ban extended from 1976 to 1992.

The club has 1 appearance in African Cup of Champions Clubs 1994 and 16 appearances in CAF Champions League from 1999 until now. It has also recorded the biggest victory in the CAF Champions League by defeating Seychelles side Côte d’Or, 11–1 at home and 16–1 on aggregate in the first round of the 2019–2020 season.[19]

Year Best finish
1994 Second Round
1999 Play-offs
2000 Group Stage (Top 4)
2001 Finalist
2006 First Round
2007 Play-offs
2008 Play-offs
2015 First Round
2016 Champion
2017 Quarter finals
2018 Group Stage
2018–19 Semi finals
2019–20 Quarter finals
2020–21 Quarter finals
2021–22 Quarter finals
2022–23 Semi finals
2023–24 Semi finals
Year Best finish
CAF Confederation Cup CAF Super Cup
2007 Group Stage DNQ
2008 Play-offs DNQ
2009 Second Round DNQ
2016 Play-offs DNQ
2017 DNQ Champion
Year Best finish
CAF Cup African Cup winners' Cup
1996 Second Round DNQ
1998 DNQ Second Round
2003 Second Round DNQ
Note
  • DNQ – Did not qualify
  • CAF announced on 24 May 2016 that Mamelodi Sundowns won on walkover after AS Vita Club were disqualified for fielding an ineligible player in their preliminary round tie against Mafunzo. Mamelodi Sundowns played in the Confederation Cup play-off round before they were reinstated to the Champions League.[20]

Overall matches

edit
Competition P W D L GF GA
CAF Cup 8 4 1 3 11 7
African Cup Winners' Cup 4 2 1 1 7 3
CAF Champions League 200 57 28 26 175 96
CAF Confederation Cup 16 7 2 7 25 24
CAF Super Cup 1 1 0 0 1 0
Total 140 71 32 37 220 130
As of 9 March 2020

Club ranking

edit

The club ranking is used for seeding in the CAF Champions League and the CAF Confederation Cup. Pending equality in ranking points, the team receiving more points in the previous season is considered as the higher-ranked team.

The club ranking for the 2024–25 CAF Champions League and the 2024–25 CAF Confederation Cup is be based on results from each CAF club competition from the 2019–20 to the 2023–24 seasons.

Rank Club 2019–20
(× 1)
2020–21
(× 2)
2021–22
(× 3)
2022–23
(× 4)
2023–24
(× 5)
Total
1   Al Ahly 6 6 5 6 6 87
2   Espérance de Tunis 3 4 3 4 5 61
3   Wydad 4 4 6 5 2 60
4   Mamelodi Sundowns 3 3 3 4 4 54
As of 06 October 2024

Performance in FIFA Club World Cup

edit

Mamelodi was the first football club from Southern Africa to represent CAF in FIFA Club World Cup, following their 2016 CAF Champions League success.Sundowns is yet again scheduled to participate in another tournament in the United states in 2025.

Year Finish P W D L GF GA GD Pst
2016 6th place 2 0 0 2 1 6 -5 0
Total 2 0 0 2 1 6 -5 0
As of 18 December 2016

Club records

edit

Records

edit
Type Nat Name Record
Most trophies won – Player   Kennedy Mweene 12
Most Trophies Won – Coach   Pitso Mosimane 11
Most starts   Daniel Mudau 390
Most goals   Daniel Mudau 172
Most capped player   Katlego Mphela 32
Most starts in a season   Themba Mnguni 48 (1997–98)
Most goals in a season   Bennett Masinga 33 (1990)
Record victory   vs Powerlines 24–0 (4 March 2012, Nedbank Cup)
Inter-record victory   vs Al Ahly 5–0 (6 April 2019, CAF Champions League)
Record defeat   vs Africa Sports 1–6 (4 November 2000, CAF Champions League)

Source:[21]

Season Pos Record
P W D L F A GD Pts
1996–97 6th 34 13 11 10 35 30 5 50
1997–98 Champions 34 19 11 4 48 25 23 68
1998–99 Champions 34 23 6 5 70 26 44 75
1999–00 Champions 34 23 6 5 68 34 34 75
2000–01 3rd 34 17 8 9 58 32 26 59
2001–02 5th 34 15 11 8 47 32 15 56
2002–03 10th 30 11 6 13 30 30 0 39
2003–04 10th 30 8 12 10 32 32 0 36
2004–05 3rd 30 16 8 6 54 28 26 56
2005–06 Champions 30 16 9 5 45 19 26 57
2006–07 Champions 30 18 7 5 45 17 28 61
2007–08 4th 30 13 8 9 40 35 5 47
2008–09 9th 30 11 7 12 28 28 0 40
2009–10 2nd 30 16 8 6 43 23 20 56
2010–11 4th 30 18 4 8 52 28 24 58
2011–12 4th 30 14 10 6 44 23 21 52
2012–13 9th 30 9 12 9 31 27 4 39
2013–14 Champions 30 20 5 5 51 25 26 65
2014–15 2nd 30 16 9 5 44 24 20 57
2015–16 Champions 30 22 5 3 55 20 35 71
2016–17 2nd 30 16 9 5 52 20 32 57
2017–18 Champions 30 18 6 6 49 24 25 60
2018–19 Champions 30 16 11 3 40 24 16 59
2019–20 Champions 30 17 8 5 43 22 21 59
2020–21 Champions 30 19 10 1 49 14 35 67
2021–22 Champions 30 19 8 3 56 20 36 65
2022–23 Champions 30 21 7 2 52 13 39 70
2023–24 Champions 30 22 7 1 51 10 41 73
  • Orange = In progress
  • Gold = Champions
  • Silver = Runner up

Source:[22]

Players

edit
As of 31 August 2024[23]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK   UGA Denis Onyango
3 FW   RSA Thembinkosi Lorch
4 MF   RSA Teboho Mokoena
5 DF   RSA Mosa Lebusa
6 MF   RSA Aubrey Modiba
7 MF   RSA Lesiba Nku
8 MF   BOL Erwin Saavedra
9 FW   BRA Arthur Sales
10 FW   BRA Lucas Ribeiro Costa
11 MF   CHI Marcelo Allende
12 MF   RSA Neo Maema
13 FW   RSA Iqraam Rayners
14 MF   RSA Terrence Mashego
15 MF   RSA Bathusi Aubaas
17 FW   RSA Tashreeq Matthews
18 MF   RSA Themba Zwane
19 FW   RSA Kobamelo Kodisang
20 DF   RSA Grant Kekana
No. Pos. Nation Player
21 MF   RSA Sphelele Mkhulise
23 DF   RSA Rushine De Reuck
24 MF   RSA Sipho Mbule
25 DF   RSA Khuliso Mudau
26 GK   RSA Reyaad Pieterse
27 DF   RSA Thapelo Morena
30 GK   RSA Ronwen Williams (captain)
33 FW   RSA Thapelo Maseko
34 MF   RSA Mothobi Mvala
36 GK   RSA Jody February
37 DF   RSA Kegan Johannes
38 FW   NAM Peter Shalulile
39 MF   RSA Lebohang Maboe
40 DF   RSA Rivaldo Coetzee
42 DF   RSA Malibongwe Khoza
43 FW   RSA Kutlwano Lethlaku
48 DF   RSA Asekho Tiwani
50 GK   RSA Sanele Tshabalala

Out on loan

edit

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
MF   ARG Matías Esquivel (at Talleres until 30 June 2025)

Shirt sponsor & kit manufacturer

edit
Period Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor Sleeve sponsor
1996–2002   Adidas
1994–1996   Puma
2002–2008   Diadora
2008–2016   Nike   Ubuntu-Botho Investments
2016–present   Puma[24]   Hyundai[25]

References

edit
  1. ^ "Champions Sundowns name Miguel Cardoso as new coach". SuperSport. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
  2. ^ Diamond, Drew (16 November 2023). "South African club Mamelodi Sundowns to release Netflix documentary". Her Football Hub. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  3. ^ "Most valuable football clubs in Africa as of the 2021/2022 season, by market value". mirror. 20 September 2021. Archived from the original on 19 November 2021. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  4. ^ a b "History – Mamelodi Sundowns". Mamelodi Sundowns FC. Archived from the original on 3 April 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  5. ^ "How did Mamelodi Sundowns get their name? – Goalpedia". Goal. Archived from the original on 3 April 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  6. ^ "Memoirs with Ingle Singh". Kaizer Chiefs. Archived from the original on 3 April 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  7. ^ "How did Mamelodi Sundowns get their name? – Goalpedia". Goal. Archived from the original on 21 June 2024. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  8. ^ a b "Chloorkop's coaches". Kick Off, Mark Gleeson. Archived from the original on 21 June 2024. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  9. ^ "How did Mamelodi Sundowns get their name? – Goalpedia – Goal.com". Goal. Archived from the original on 21 June 2024. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  10. ^ "South Africa Cup Winners". RSSSF. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
  11. ^ "Taking a trip on the Chukwu train – Reflecting the Greatness of Raphael Chukwu". Mamelodi Sundowns FC. 6 June 2022. Archived from the original on 3 April 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  12. ^ "Sundowns make South African history with 24–0 win". BBC Sport. 4 March 2012. Archived from the original on 7 March 2012. Retrieved 7 March 2012.
  13. ^ "Downs thrash Powerlines in record win". Sundowns FC. 4 March 2012. Archived from the original on 6 March 2012. Retrieved 7 March 2012.
  14. ^ "Premier League 2013/14". Football Database. Archived from the original on 21 June 2024. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  15. ^ a b "Mortada Mansour blames sorcery for Zamalek African Champions League defeat". The Guardian. 24 October 2016. Archived from the original on 21 June 2024. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
  16. ^ "South Africa's Sundowns win first CAF Super Cup title after late victory over Mazembe". Ahram Online. Archived from the original on 21 June 2024. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
  17. ^ "Club Statement". Mamelodi Sundowns FC. 4 October 2020. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  18. ^ "HONOURS – Mamelodi Sundowns – Official Website". Archived from the original on 6 August 2023. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  19. ^ Football, CAF-Confedération Africaine du. "Sundowns break the record – Biggest victories in CAF Champions League history". CAFOnline.com. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  20. ^ "Disqualification of AS Vita Club". CAF. 24 May 2016. Archived from the original on 12 September 2018. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
  21. ^ "Mamelodi Sundowns". Kickoff.com. Archived from the original on 6 November 2013. Retrieved 17 November 2013.
  22. ^ Kickoff PSL Yearbook 2013/2014, p. 28.
  23. ^ "Mamelodi Sundowns 2022–23 squad". Club homepage. Archived from the original on 4 November 2023. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
  24. ^ "Mamelodi Sundowns sign lucrative long-term deal with Puma". TimesLIVE. Archived from the original on 13 May 2024. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
  25. ^ Holmes, Elena (17 October 2017). "Mamelodi Sundowns net Hyundai deal". SportsPro. Archived from the original on 8 January 2018. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
edit