Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso has revealed how Portuguese duo Nuno Santos and Miguel Reisinho have adapted to the CAF Champions League since arriving in South Africa.
The pair joined Sundowns this season and have already made their Champions League debut having featured in the preliminary round. Nuno has a goal and an assist in the tournament so far while his countryman has scored a goal too. The Brazilians who are last season’s finalists in the competition open their group stage campaign on Saturday against St Eloi Lupopo of DRC in Pretoria with Cardoso hailing the good environment his side has cultivated, especially in welcoming new players.
The coach also said the game is the same everywhere and the duo is already used to playing at a high level where it comes from and thrive at this level.
“Look, what happens with Portuguese, Spanish and Mexicans is the same, is the process, obviously of adaptation to the reality,” said Cardoso.
“I always said that entering Mamelodi Sundowns is a more easy process than in other clubs. The club is very friendly. The players are very friendly to each other. The group is a very positive one. The relations they flourish. They are from the heart. So, when a player arrives, in general, he’s very well received, if also he comes with the right attitude.
“Obviously then there’s an adaptation of football that sometimes is a little bit different. I think that it’s clear for all of us that Nuno made a very good adaptation to South Africa and to the football that is played here. I also don’t feel that there are a lot of differences between the game that can be sometimes the level with some matches, but the football itself is a universal language.
“We are speaking about players that played many international matches that were national team players, they experienced different contexts. And I think that the best players, they thrive, they excel, they really get excited about experience the highlights of the spotlights, of the best stages that they can be involved on.
“So, I think that all the team is excited about starting this competition that is the biggest on the continent, and obviously with the right emotions to transform those on energy on movement, on actions or behaviours and pursue the result until the last drop of sweat.”
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