Mamelodi Sundowns co-coach Rhulani Mokwena has revealed the reason behind the signing of Zimbabwe international defender Divine Lunga by the club.
Lunga completed his long-awaited move to the Brazilians last week on a five-year lucrative contract from Golden Arrows, ending weeks of speculation surrounding his future amid links to several clubs both in South Africa and Europe.
The 26-year-old stalwart is among the four players, who were recently unveiled at Chloorkop, Mamelodi Sundowns’ training and administrative facilities.
Alongside the defender, Sundowns also welcomed Slovakian striker Pavol Safranko, midfielder Grant Kekana from SuperSport United and attacking midfielder Neo Maema, who joined from Bloemfontein Celtic.
According to Mokwena, the cash-rich Masandawana decided to sign Lunga because of his “ability to perform in big matches” after being impressed by his assured performance against Liverpool’s Egyptian superstar Mohamed Salah at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
In that AFCON game, played in front of a large crowd at the Cairo International Stadium, Lunga received several praises for his imperious display against Salah, which the hosts narrowly won 1-0.
Mokwena, who is currently one of the top young coaches in South Africa, said the Sundowns technical team went through a rigorous process of video and data analysis of the Warriors defender before finally deciding to add him to their championship-winning squad.
“For the recruitment‚ we did a lot of analysis with video footage‚ but also with the assistance of data in trying to measure what we have from a numbers perspective‚” he said.
“We also had to look at what do we have‚ and what we need in relation to our playing style. We profiled them thoroughly so that they are able to help us with regards to how we want to play.
“It was also about trying to solve particular aspects of our team.
“(With Lunga) probably his best game was against Egypt where he put Mohamed Salah in his pocket. Those games helped us to profile him and he has the ability to perform in big [matches].”
Mokwena also added that Sundowns recognised Lunga’s versatility in defence while adding that his international experience with the Warriors would be valuable to the DStv Premiership Champions.
“Lunga is also the one who ticks a lot of boxes because he is versatile as he can play left centre-half and left-back. He has possibilities of getting into the final third, where his numbers are very good, and he has the ability to create scoring opportunities from wide areas,” said Mokwena as per Sowetan Live.
“His age is good in relation to longevity and his other quality is his ability in dead-ball situations. His height is important in Africa because there you have to be aggressive in the air and in dead-ball situations.
“We are fortunate that he is an international for Zimbabwe, he’s got World Cup qualifiers experience and he’s got the experience of playing Afcon qualifiers in games of consequence.”
Lunga, who has been a long-term target of Sundowns, finally joins on a free transfer after spending three years at Golden Arrows, having joined them from Chicken Inn back in 2018, and managed a total of 84 appearances.
At Sundowns, the Zimbabwe international will have Lyle Lakay and Aubrey Modiba for competition, with the future of veteran left-back Tebogo Langerman hanging in the balance.
Lunga is also expected to play an important role for the Brazilians in the CAF Champions League, where they will make an appearance for an eighth consecutive campaign next season.