Sundowns star termed ‘very famous’ Bafana player in Brazil due to ‘Samba’ style

Mamelodi Sundowns players are reportedly very popular in Brazil due to the club’s tendency to get talents from the country.

Sundowns have eight players in the Bafana Bafana squad currently at the World Cup and according to a Brazilian journalist, some of them are no strangers to fans in the South American country.

Speaking to FARPost in Atlanta, Brazilian journalist Leonardo Haidar talked highly about South African players and why he believes they will bounce back from their disappointing defeat to Czech Republic.

Bafana players backed to beat Czechia

“The first game was a little bit overwhelming for them, and the atmosphere at Estadio Azteca helped Mexico,” said Haidar. “But I believe they can do well against the Czech Republic and South Korea. So, I believe South Africa will be in the next stage [knockout rounds].”

Haidar then went into details about the specific players that will likely make a difference for Bafana Bafana while letting out a secret about some of them that is not known to many in South Africa.

“I like Lyle Foster, I think he’s a great striker. Ronwen Williams, the goalkeeper, I like him too. But I think Lyle Foster is the main hope for the squad to go far in the tournament,” he went on.

Sundowns defender famous in Brazil

“Aubrey Modiba is quite famous in Brazil because his style is everywhere. So he is very famous alongside [Teboho] Mokoena and Foster as well.”

Foster’s familiarity with Brazilians is perhaps down to his stint with his English club Burnley who were playing in the Premier League last season before their relegation.

For Sundowns stars, it might not just be about the signing of Brazilians by the recently-crowned African champions but also the fact that they featured in the FIFA Club World Cup last year when Fluminense were one of their group stage opponents.