Time for Mamelodi Sundowns to make Rulani Mokwena an immortal

Matshelane Mamabolo|Published

Under Rulani Mokwena’s guidance, Mamelodi Sundowns have become a special breed – a team so compellingly good domestically that the question going into each of their matches is never who would win. Photo: BackpagePix

Just one match stands between Rulani Mokwena and football immortality.

At the tender age of 37, the Mamelodi Sundowns coach is on the verge of achieving something so great it will probably see him eclipse the members of his revered football family in stature.

A descendant of the famous Sono family – which includes South African football legends such as the late Eric “Scara” Sono and his sons Ephraim “Jomo” Sono and Julius “KK” Sono – Mokwena need only lead the Brazilians to avoiding defeat to Cape Town City tomorrow at Loftus Versfeld (3pm kick-off) to become a football IMMORTAL.

That result will see Sundowns become the first club in the history of South African football to go through a full league season unbeaten. It is an unthinkable feat, one that has eluded some of the best clubs this country has ever seen.

None of the all-conquering Orlando Pirates of 1973; Clive Barker’s fantastic Durban City of 1982 and 1983; the Durban Bush Bucks of 1985; the mighty Kaizer Chiefs of the mid 1980s; Gavin Hunt’s Premiership champions SuperSport United; and Pitso Mosimane’s continental conquerors Sundowns, ever went a league season without defeat.

As it is, the closest a team has come to going all season without defeat in local football was Sundowns, who were co-coached by Mokwena and Manqoba Mngqithi in the 2020/21 season, when they lost just one match.

Back then, the Brazilians were beaten only by Chiefs.

You can bet that Cape Town City coach Eric Tinkler would love nothing more than to pull the rug out from underneath the greenhorn that is Mokwena, if only to stop the young man from getting too big-headed early on in his career.

But given just how well they did to avoid defeat against TS Galaxy on Tuesday, after Peter Shalulile earned them a point when the “Invincibles” title looked set to elude them, the smart bet has to be on Sundowns completing what would be the most remarkable league season of all time in SA football.

Under Mokwena’s guidance, Sundowns have become a special breed – a team so compellingly good domestically that the question going into each of their matches is never who would win, but rather by what score they would be victorious.

Even when he fields what is considered a second-string team, Mokwena’s outfit still start each domestic match as the favourites.

Many have suggested that the young coach’s success is due to his having the multi-millions of the club’s owner Patrice Motsepe to be able to buy any player he wants.

There have been those who argued that such is Sundowns’ strength in depth and the solid foundation laid by previous coach Mosimane that any coach would be successful.

They might have a point.

But you need to be blind not to see the immense impact and influence Mokwena’s coaching has on what Sundowns do on the pitch.

A student of the game, he has an obsession with top European coaches such as Pep Guardiola, and works hard to emulate the moves and schemes he picks up from top clubs such as Manchester City at Sundowns.

Perhaps eager to prove that he can achieve coaching success despite not having played at the highest level – a contributing factor to the chip he has on his shoulder – he spends hours and hours studying the opposition in preparation for matches.

And it has borne incredible fruit; Mokwena is now on the verge of a glorious feat that will see his name mentioned in the same breath as that of Arsene Wenger, who led Arsenal to the English Premier League title unbeaten in the 2003/04 season.

Avoid defeat on coronation Saturday, and he will have his name etched alongside those recent coaches of the “Invincibles” such as Xabi Alonso (2023/24 Bayer Leverkusen), Antonio Conte (Juventus 2011/12), André Villas-Boas (Porto 2010/2011), Louis van Gaal (Ajax Amsterdam 1994/95) and Fabio Capello (AC Milan 1991/92), to mention but some of the coaches from well-known clubs in the big European leagues.

That would be an incredible achievement for a man who has strangely opted to go by his mother’s surname instead of his father’s, yet still reminds us of his football heritage at the drop of a hat, that he is a Sono descendant – the son of KK, Jomo’s nephew and Scara’s grandson.

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