Marcelo Allende set to reach Sundowns century under Cardoso in CAF Super Cup

Marcelo Allende will make his 100th appearance for Mamelodi Sundowns since Miguel Cardoso became head coach when the club face USM Alger in the CAF Super Cup on Sunday.

The Chilean midfielder has been named in the starting line-up for the trophy contest, having reached 99 matches during Cardoso’s time at Chloorkop. The milestone will give Allende an opportunity to make a significant contribution to the early part of Cardoso’s tenure.

Sunday’s game will be Cardoso’s 108th in charge of Sundowns, meaning Allende has missed only eight matches since the Portuguese coach arrived in December 2024.

Allende is currently in his fifth season with Sundowns and has maintained an exceptionally consistent record. Across the four campaigns he has completed, he has averaged 44 appearances per season.

His influence has also prompted those handling his career to consider the possibility of a move away from Chloorkop when his contract expires in June 2027. While discussions continue behind the scenes about his next destination, the 27-year-old is set to add another personal achievement to his Sundowns career.

Cardoso praises midfielder’s consistency

Cardoso has offered a strong endorsement of Allende’s performances and professionalism ahead of the CAF Super Cup.

“Brilliant is absolutely a fantastic adjective for him,” Cardoso said this week.

“He is so consistent and has been doing it for many years… you know what is a maestro in English?

“We are going to do our best, I’m pretty sure, to keep him with us for a long time.

“It is a pleasure to see him training, playing, he is one of the first to arrive and one of the last to go away.

“He is a player that runs 12kms consistently… he makes everybody around better players because he can clean the game,” added Cardoso.

Allende’s ability to influence matches while maintaining a demanding workload has made him one of the central figures in the Sundowns squad.

Matthews close behind

Ronwen Matthews is one appearance behind Allende in the number of games played for Sundowns since Cardoso took charge.

His position has been strengthened by a run of 81 consecutive matches, which ended only when he was rested on Tuesday.

Matthews has featured in every official match for The Brazilians since coming on as a substitute against Kaizer Chiefs on 13 April 2025. That sequence represented 18 months without injury, suspension or being left out of the team.

His consistency has been rewarded with consecutive Bafana Bafana call-ups under Pitso Mosimane.