Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso has unpacked Neo Maema’s struggles for game-time in the current Betway Premiership season at the club.
The talented midfielder has been frustrated on the sidelines following his absence from the Sundowns matchday squad. Maema is yet to start a league match for the Brazilians and he last featured in the Nedbank Cup Last 32 when Sundowns defeated Sibanye Golden Stars 5-2 in January 2025.
The 29-year-old has featured in 13 matches across all competitions and scored one goal, with the majority of these appearances having been as a substitute in the second half.
Maema joined Masandawana in 2021 from Bloemfontein Celtic on a long-term contract. Since arriving at Chloorkop, the left-footed star has scored 13 goals and provided 14 assists in 116 games. However, he has fallen out of favour in recent years.
Due to the lack of game-time, Maema was part of the fringe players that made up the Bafana Bafana squad in the CHAN qualifiers recently.
The highly-rated midfielder captained the Bafana side in the two-legged CHAN qualifiers against Egypt. In the first leg at home, South Africa played out to a 1-1 draw with Egypt before beating the North Africans 3-1 away in the return leg, where Maema scored a beautiful goal.
CARDOSO ADVISES MAEMA TO EXPRESS HIS QUALITIES REGULARLY
Following Sundowns’ 2-0 win against AmaZulu FC, Miguel Cardoso explained Neo Maema’s limited playing time, emphasising the need for the player to consistently showcase his abilities.
“What I have to say regarding the players is that it’s very important when you have an opportunity [to play] at Sundowns, they grab it with both hands. There are many players, and when you miss an opportunity, someone will grab it, and it’s quite difficult to go back on the rhythm,” said Cardoso.
“What’s happening with Neo? He has qualities, and we believe in him so much. I just want to remind you that when I arrived in the first match, Neo was in the first 11 when we played Raja Casablanca.
“So he’s a player that we trust among the other ones. He’s a player I’ve been speaking to a lot because I know he has the quality, and in the last period, he hasn’t been playing so much, and obviously, that doesn’t make him happy, but I’m so happy he had a good performance with the national team.
“I think it was positive for him because we will profit from that energy and the excitement. It’s not a problem of quality with Neo, he has a lot of quality, it’s just a matter of expressing it on a regular basis.”
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