Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso says there’s a lot of misunderstanding around an ‘underrated’ Arthur Sales and he and no other player can be a direct replacement for Lucas Ribeiro Costa.
Sales, 23, has come under scrutiny since his arrival, primarily due to his reported price tag being the record transfer for the club and not being a starring figure, as Costa was in the Masandawana XI.
He netted nine goals with 10 assists in 42 games last season, with more than half of his appearance, with only eight complete 90 minute games offered as he was used as a rotational option and impact player in most games.
But there’s now a chance for the Brazilian to potentially stamp his authority in the team, with Costa set to leave the club in this current window and not part of the Sundowns squad for their opening three games of the 2025/26 season due to his expected transfer to Qatar SC.
“There’s a lot of misunderstanding towards Arthur Sales, people expecting too much of him, just because he’s playing on the right now, you will say Lucas Ribeiro, there’s nobody ever who will be Lucas Ribeiro on the pitch, the coach doesn’t look for a player who will be Lucas Ribeiro, because it doesn’t not exist,” Cardoso said.
“Lucas is Lucas, Arthur is Arthur, if Kutlwano plays on the right, it’s another player – each player has their own characteristics, and Arthur is a very good player, that in the South African league has not been given the attention and credit he deserves.
“I think know gradually people will start to understand, and look at his numbers, if you think how he impacted the team last year when he entered the pitch, always goals and assists, he was important already last year.
“You remember how I celebrated with him, the [league winning] goal but the second or third goal against Chippa I went running to him, because he deserved that hug at that moment as he was not pushed the way he deserved, he’s a but underrated on the basis of what he is capable to do. You saw a fantastic second half from him [against AmaZulu].
“If he was more jealous [selfish] he’d score more than one goal, I remember one pass he gave to Peter because he wanted Peter to score that goal, an easier ball would have been putting it in the net – Arthur scores goals very easily.
“He will score goals all season, like Peter, like Iqraam because they are players with good relations with the goal, and he can also make assists – he’s very clever, he will become better and better as he understands and adapts to South African football.”