'He also played too much for the public but he can't do that, he'll have to learn to make his own decisions,' said Cardoso.
As the 2025–26 Betway Premiership campaign kicks off this weekend, Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso believes this could be the season rising star Siyabonga Mabena truly comes of age.
Sundowns’ young goalscorer
After a lengthy injury layoff, the 18-year-old came off the bench in the MTN8 quarter-final match against Richards Bay to round off the scoring in a comprehensive 4–0 victory for the Brazilians.
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Mabena’s goal sparked wild celebrations, both in the stands and on the Sundowns bench, with Cardoso sprinting to the corner flag to embrace the teenager.
The Portuguese coach gave an honest assessment of Mabena’s impactful cameo appearance after Sundowns booked their place in the semi-finals of the Top 8 competition, where they will face Orlando Pirates.
“It’s time for him to try and that’s how he will learn by watching videos on what he could have done. I’m happy for him how he played after entering the game,” Cardoso said of the rising talent.
“Just like Kutlwano (Letlhaku), I hope in the future we can give more opportunities but it’s important that they embrace the behaviours that we want for the team.
“Playing them allows us to try things that we have been working on for the future. I’m happy for him and I also celebrated in a special way because the boy needed this.”
Despite Mabena’s immense talent, he tends to over-elaborate, using his pace and dribbling skills to entertain the crowd. Cardoso, a well-travelled coach with extensive experience in youth development, believes the fan-favourite needs to improve in some key aspects of his game.
“We should also understand the role of a young player and the role of a group when we have young players in terms of supporting them to grow and the role of a coach in order to support young players,” Cardoso concluded.
‘Too much for the public’
“Young players will succeed if the teams are strong. It’s easy for them to enter in contexts like this because Mabena made wonderful things but he also made mistakes.
“He also played too much for the public but he can’t do that, he’ll have to learn to make his own decisions and not be influenced by people who are cheering for his dribbles because football is not played that way.”
Masandawana will be away to Chippa United at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium as they begin the official defence of their premiership title on Saturday.
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Kick-off against the Chilli Boys is scheduled for 3pm on Saturday. Chippa are under the guidance of former Sundowns youth coach Sinethemba Badela who took over from Thabo September.
