Miguel Cardoso the right man for Sundowns - Hlompho Kekana

The Portuguese mentor has fallen short at the final hurdle on two successive attempts – first with Esperance de Tunis last year when they lost to Al Ahly and then earlier this month as Sundowns suffered defeat at the hands of Pyramids FC. 

Cardoso has come under fire among Sundowns fans and pundits over his approach, especially after the second leg in Egypt, but Kekana – a 2016 winner of the continental crown – is adamant he can end the long wait for a second star.

"Personally I think he did very well since he's come to Mamelodi Sundowns, considering that he got the team seven games into the league already," said Kekana.

"It's not easy to come into South African football and try to get into a system, and understand how players play – you know in South Africa we play with raw talent, so you need to understand that and try to get into them buying your philosophy.

"But when I look at the overall performance of this year already, I feel like he has done enough to even put the team in the Champions League final – which, for me, I think they deserved to win that final, but that's how football goes.

"The teams you normally feel like you can beat, you might not beat, but I do support the coach. I still believe he can bring the Champions League [trophy] here to Sundowns."

Another bone of contention has been the limited minutes of skipper Themba Zwane under Cardoso, and Kekana was more diplomatic in his answer ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup.

"To be honest, Shika [Zwane] is like any player in the Mamelodi Sundowns team, a coach would love to have a player like him fit, and I'm sure with the group selected to go to the USA, he'll want to use everybody in those group matches," he added.

"Group matches, you'll want to try and win but at the same time, as players, you want to learn and see what you can do, especially against those international teams.

"So I'm sure Themba will love to have a run, and would love to take the field as the captain of the team, but it's only Themba, of course, there are other players who didn't play [in the Champions League final] 

"Bathusi Aubaas, I think, has done so well this season and I think he will want to have a run in the Club World Cup, so yeah, it's a space where everybody wants to take part."

READ: Zwane on World Cup test as Sundowns depart for USA