Cupido: We Will Miss Ribeiro If He Leaves
Mamelodi Sundowns defender Keanu Cupido has spoken about the potential departure of his teammate Lucas Ribeiro, amidst rumors surrounding the Brazilian’s future at the club.
Ribeiro, who joined Sundowns in the 2023/24 season, has been instrumental in the team’s success last season, winning four individual awards at the PSL awards this week, which include the Betway Premiership Players’ Player of the Season award, Top goal scorer award, Goal of the Season award, and Footballer of the Season award.
The former Beveren winger also won the FIFA Club World Cup goal of the tournament award for his outstanding goal against Borussia Dortmund. That has led to huge interest abroad, including Fluminense, the club he played against in the Club World Cup, and Qatar SC.
While acknowledging Ribeiro’s potential departure, Cupido wished him well, emphasizing the team’s commitment to success.
“Lucas is a great player, I think everyone in the team will miss a player like that,” Cupido said.
“But for us as Mamelodi Sundowns, if it becomes successful, we wish him well.
“There’s a lot of quality players at Mamelodi Sundowns that can fill the space where he left, and I think that’s youngsters who can close that space.”
Ahead of the new season, Cupido emphasized the importance of player care and professionalism.
“I feel like we need to take care of our bodies as players first, and then the team will do well,” he added.
“We need to do our recoveries, we need to take care of ourselves, and nutrition is essential as a player. So, that’s the small details that separate professionals from football players.”
Cupido also highlighted the team’s good direction, citing the consistency of players like Teboho Mokoena and Ribeiro.
“So, at Mamelodi Sundowns, we have a good direction, even a few years ago, when I was not here, there was good direction,” he said.
“You can see the change in players like Tebza (Teboho Mokoena) and Ribeiro, they’ve always been consistent in their performances. So, at Mamelodi Sundowns, most players are used to it.”
The Brazilians are set to begin the 2025/26 campaign in the quarterfinal of the MTN8 against Richards Bay at Lucas Moripe Stadium on Sunday.
