Pitso Mosimane opens up about two major transfer misses at Sundowns

Former Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane has opened up about two major transfer misses during his time at the club.

Mosimane spent eight years at Sundowns, winning five league titles. He is credited for turning around the Brazilians’ fortunes after taking over in 2012.

The former Bafana Bafana mentor, who guided Downs to the 2016 CAF Champions League, has revealed that he came close to signing both Luis Diaz and Vinicius Jr.

Diaz now turns out for Liverpool FC while Vinicius Jr is Real Madrid’s talisman.

WHAT PITSO MOSIMANE SAID ABOUT DIAZ AND VINICIUS JR

“You know Luis Diaz, the guy who is playing for Liverpool on the left? I nearly bought him for Sundowns. I’m not lying! He was in Colombia,” Mosimane told Metro FM’s DJ Sabby.

“We were on top of Diaz. Unfortunately, we delayed one or two days, and he signed for Porto. We’ve looked at a lot of players. I don’t want to lie to you.”

Manqoba Mngqithi, who served as Mosimane’s assistant at Mamelodi Sundowns, confirmed the Diaz near-miss in February 2022.

Furthermore, Mosimane revealed that DStv Premiership giants Sundowns had also been interested in Vinicius Jr before his move to Europe. “We’ve looked at a lot of players, including Vinicius Jr. I don’t want to lie to you,” he said.

These missed opportunities highlight the ambitious scouting network that Sundowns have built over the years. The club has successfully signed several South American players in recent years, including Lucas Ribeiro, Ricardo Nascimento, Marcello Allende, and Gaston Sirino.

Sundowns continue to be a dominant force in South African football, and their scouting network remains active. It will be interesting to see what future transfer windows hold for the club and whether they manage to secure any more hidden gems like Diaz and Vinicius Jr.

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