With the DStv Premiership back in full swing this weekend, we take a look at three players who could potentially lead their team to glory as Cape Town City welcome defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns to the DHL Stadium on Friday evening.
The Brazilians will begin their title defence in Cape Town after they finished the 2021-22 campaign at the top of the log with 65 points from 30 matches, which also earned them a place in this year’s CAF Champions League competition.
Meanwhile, City fell 16 points short of Sundowns as they finished in second place in the DStv Premiership standings last campaign with 49 points but after strengthening their squad for this coming season they will be one of the favourites to battle Sundowns for the title.
Peter Shalulile – Mamelodi Sundowns
The Namibian international was by far the best player during the 2021-23 campaign as he helped the Brazilians secure their fifth consecutive DStv Premiership title as part of clinching the domestic treble along with claiming the MTN8 title and the Nedbank Cup.
Shalulile played a leading role in helping the club achieve this feat after he became the first player to breach the 20-goal mark in the PSL in over a decade after he scored 23 goals in 30 league appearances.
The Sundowns forward will now be looking to continue his form into the new campaign and open his account against Cape Town City after he failed to find the back of the net against the Citizens in both fixtures last season.
Jordan Bender – Cape Town City
Cape Town City recently captured the services of American attacking midfielder Jordan Bender after he parted ways with Major League Soccer outfit Orlando City.
The 21-year-old midfielder joined the Citizens after he put pen to paper on a three-year contract and will be wearing the No 9 jersey for City in the 2022-23 season.
However, Bender, who shared a dressing room with former Manchester United attacker Nani as well as former AC Milan and Chelsea striker Alexander Pato, will now be given the chance to showcase his talent and prove his worth as he looks to repay head coach Eric Tinkler by helping them clinch their maiden DStv Premiership and Caf Champions League title.
Marcelo Allende – Mamelodi Sundowns
The Chilean international joined the Brazilians from Montevideo City Torque in a deal reportedly worth R51 million after putting pen to paper on a three-year contract. The 23-year-old spent three seasons at Montevideo where he scored 16 goals and registered 23 assists in 87 appearances across all competitions.
This past season, Allende bagged six goals and three assists in 20 appearances to become the all-time top assisted in the history of the club and the highly-rated attacker will give Sundowns a bit more options in attack as he can cause all kinds of problems for defenders with his skill and pace.