Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso has praised Lucas Ribeiro as a player capable of succeeding at a higher level abroad.
The 26-year-old Brazilian once again proved his worth on Saturday, scoring a stupendous goal to secure a 1-0 victory over Kaizer Chiefs in the Betway Premiership at Lucas Moripe Stadium.
Ribeiro’s strike took his league tally to 12 goals for the season, underlining his importance to a Sundowns side that continues to dominate South African football.
The Brazilians sit comfortably at the top of the table with 54 points from 20 matches, 18 ahead of second-placed Orlando Pirates.
While Pirates still have four games in hand, they missed the opportunity to close the gap after suffering a 2-0 defeat to Marumo Gallants in Bloemfontein.
Sundowns, meanwhile, strengthened their position as firm favourites for the title, with Ribeiro’s match-winning contributions a key factor in their success.
“Lucas is no doubt a quality player, but he is a player who needs freshness,” Cardoso said.
“He is explosive and to be like that you need to be fresh. He is trying to cope with the effort he has been giving and we are trying to [help him] recover as much as possible between matches.
“But it has been tough for him. Explosive players are the ones that suffer more from fatigue and he lives for his explosive actions. He is doing less explosive actions due to the fact that he is tired.
“He does his explosive actions with quality and he had a few of them in this match. Thanks to individual technical execution, he scored a wonderful goal.”
He added: “I hope he stays for many more years at the club but I also hope he can express himself at a higher level. A coach always wants the best for the players.
“But if you can go for better, please go because it makes me a better coach if I promote players. In the past it has happened like that and I hope it will happen with some of Sundowns’ players if they want to go.”