Miguel Reisinho fires back at Cardoso over Sundowns exit ‘lies’

Former Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder Miguel Reisinho has seemed to suggest that coach Miguel Cardoso gave a wrong account of his time at the club.

Reisinho left Sundowns last month, just one year after joining the Brazilians from Portuguese side Boavista, and he departed after making 14 appearances, scoring two goals and providing an assist.  

The Portuguese playmaker’s time in South Africa did not yield the success that was hoped for and Cardoso said he struggled to adjust to life in South Africa.

“Regarding players, you need to be open-hearted to adapt to a country that is completely different… you need to embrace the difference and enjoy it,” Cardoso said of Reinsinho’s time at Chloorkop.

Reisinho responds to Cardoso’s claims

“If you start denying everything—you don’t dance in the locker room, you don’t absorb the things that are so beautiful in South Africa—it will be more difficult for you daily,” he explained.

However, the 27-year-old has denied those claims, saying his departure was down to something much deeper and not a struggle to adapt to the culture in South Africa.

“He [Cardoso] said that? That’s interesting because it’s something that was never really discussed during the season. As I said before, I adapted very well to life in South Africa,” Reisinho told Soccer Laduma.

“There are values and principles that I learned throughout my career, which helped me become the professional and the person I am today.

What led to midfielder’s Sundowns’ exit?

“Those are things I will never compromise on. I have always been professional in every sense of the word, and I adapted well to the circumstances that came my way, even when some of them were not as normal as what I had been used to.”

Reisinho claims there were more issues that touched on his values and professionalism that led to his Sundowns departure, not the culture.

“What I can say is that I will always stand by my values, professionalism, respect, honesty and the way I conduct myself. Those are principles I have always followed throughout my career and will continue to follow. I prefer not to go into more detail about specific situations.”

Following Resinho’s departure and the death of Jayden Adams, Sundowns have since signed former Kaizer Chiefs star Thabo Cele to shore up their midfield.