The best Sundowns side debate – part one

A lot of those fans are divided between the generation that donned the famous Brazilian colours between 1997 and 2001 and the group that lifted the club’s sole Caf Champions League title.

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2016 was the year that Bafana Ba Style claimed the Holy Grail on the continent and earned themselves bragging rights as the kings of Africa when they lifted the Champions League in Cairo where Zamalek were the sacrificial lamb on Downs’ path to claiming that coveted star that sits firmly above the club’s crest.

However, the footprint on the continent had already been there for some 14 years and 10 months and it was the class of 2001 that made Downs’ first impression and statement of intent in Africa.

The team was led by Daniel “Mambush” Mudau as skipper and the late Ted Dumitru on the bench. Sundowns hosted the first-leg at Loftus Versfeld, playing out to a 1-1 draw against Egyptian giants Al-Ahly. The return-leg was a cruise for the Red Devils who went on to claim their then third title after beating the Brazilians 3-0 in Cairo. Al-Ahly now sit at eight Champions League titles as record holders.

In that Minwana Phezulu team, there were club stalwarts such as Isaac Shai, Alex Bapela, Raphael Chukwu, Lovers Mohlala, John Tlale, just to mention a few, while the likes of Fabian McCarthy and Matthew Booth were part of the young blood in the squad.

This Sundowns generation won the league three times in a row – a feat only matched by capital city rivals SuperSport United who won it between 2007 and 2010 – and the current crop, led by coach Pitso Mosimane, stands a chance of matching that achievement as they are tap-dancing on the verge of a 10^th Premier Soccer League crown and a third one on the trot.

Wayne Arendse, who was plying his trade at Santos in 2001 when the likes of Bennett Mnguni were playing Al-Ahly in the Champions League final, says a lot has changed from then and when Downs won the Champions League in 2016.

“Football that time and this time has changed a lot and obviously there are a lot of things that changed in between where the game is concerned,” said Arendse, who agonisingly had to miss the second leg of the final in Cairo against Zamalek. Arendse picked up a yellow card in the first-leg at the Lucas Moripe Stadium.

“In that game, I knew that I was one yellow card from missing the final and while playing you could see that every tackle and every challenge I made, the players of Zamalek knew that I was close to suspension and they would always fall out of nothing and always telling the referee that he must book me.

“Eventually I went up for a header in the second half and they were appealing, I don’t know for what, and the referee gave me a yellow card. I said ‘damn, I’m out of the final’. The game was so emotional and at that, we were leading 3-0. That was the other positive side of things.

“The coach took me off because he did not want a situation where we had 10 players on the pitch. After the game I composed myself and I told myself that I played my part, we were going to Cairo with a 3-0 advantage and the squad was big and Bangaly Soumahoro played in the second-leg,” Arendse told Phakaaathi, as he reminisced before he went on to share his thoughts on the debate at hand.

“I wouldn’t say who is the best because they had their own time and their era, they were good at their time and this is now our time. Five or six years from now there will be another era and that team will probably win the Champions League and go on to play in the Fifa Club World Cup final,” Arendse said, further elaborating that the torch of dominance would always change hands from generation-to-generation and, perhaps, one group will shine it brighter than the other.

“In every era, there will be a team that stands out over the rest. Like now, we are in the era of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, they have been at the top of world football for over a decade. Next time you will find someone else, maybe your Percy Tau up there.

“I wouldn’t say we are the best, but in our era of Sundowns, we were the best team. They did well and we just need to match it now and bring that other league title home and make it double figures of 10 league title,” the veteran defender said.

Stay locked on Phakaaathi for part two of this debate coming up later this week.

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