How Sundowns courted Brazilian striking star Ribeiro

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Rhulani Mokwena has given detailed insight into the amount of scouting, profiling and data analysis the team embarked on to seek out and secure Lucas Ribeiro. 

The Brazilian attacker has been a revelation for the Brazilians since he arrived at Chloorkop before the start of the season, with eight appearances, six goals and two assists across all competitions. 

In recent years Sundowns have recruited capable South American players such as Gaston Sirino, Ricardo Nascimento, Leonardo Castro and Jose Torrealba. 

As they prepare to take on fellow title challengers Orlando Pirates in a big Premiership clash at Orlando Stadium on Wednesday, Mokwena said he is not surprised by Ribeiro’s impressive start to the season. 

The scouting and data departments do “a lot of work ... behind the scenes”, he said. 

“There was a lot of work in the office by [Downs general manager] Yogesh Singh, who had to travel to Brazil, and the club made an extensive effort on that. I spent a lot of time watching Lucas. He was playing in a different position to where he is playing now.

“It was clear from day one when he arrived. The players will tell you of some of the qualities I identified in Lucas [that] I felt the team needed. There were also some areas where he had to improve and work on to be able to fit into the model.” 

Ribeiro has quickly added a lot of value to Sundowns’ attacking department alongside players such as Junior Mendieta, Lesiba Nku, Marcelo Allende, Aubrey Modiba and Peter Shalulile. 

Hard work

“He has worked hard to gain the trust of his teammates. I get the feeling when he plays, at training and in and around the premises [that] his teammates trust him. 

“That is important for a player arriving ... but it is also because of his hard work, his humility and personality.

“He is a good human being. Above that we try to recruit some of the best players. One of the things we look for are good human qualities that we think are needed ... in this organisation. 

“Lucas has qualities that you can’t coach or improve as a coach. They are there ... because they are God-given.

“He is Brazilian. Many people don’t understand when I say there is a difference between skill and flair. A lot of South American players have flair and you see it sometimes with Lucas.

“It is things that you see with Neymar or Robinho, for example. It is not skill, but flair — there is an element of elegance and he possesses that. 

“But there is a lot of improvement, as with all the players we have at the club. All the players at Sundowns know we sit every day for corrections of training sessions, of matches.

“We even correct small things like body language. It is crazy, but that is the space we operate in. I think there is still more [to come] for Lucas.”