Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso says Thapelo Maseko is in his plans but admits it is out of his hands to convince the winger to stay at the club.
The 22-year-old spent the second half of last season on loan at Cypriot top-flight side AEL Limassol. The loan move came after Maseko was frozen out by Cardoso, who also excluded him from the squad that competed in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.
This saw Maseko venting his frustrations on social media as he pushed for a move away from Chloorkop. But the stint in Cyprus paid off as it revived his international career.
He was part of the Bafana Bafana squad at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where he scored against South Korea. As previously reported by FARPost, Maseko is keen to leave the Brazilians following the end of his loan spell at Limassol, who want him back, and he is targeting returning to Europe.
Earlier this week, Maseko once again set tongues wagging on social media following a cryptic message amid continued uncertainty over his future at Sundowns. He raised eyebrows on Thursday after taking to Instagram with a brief post reading, “This must be a prank,” accompanied by facepalm and heartbreak emojis.
MIGUEL CARDOSO INSISTS THERE’S NO BAD BLOOD BETWEEN HIM AND THAPELO MASEKO
Addressing the media after Sundowns’ 3-2 victory over Polokwane City FC in the MTN8 quarter-finals on Saturday, Cardoso explained the Maseko issue. The Portuguese tactician said all is well between him and the player but leaves it up to the club to convince him to stay.
“First of all, between coach Miguel and Thapelo Maseko, there are no issues. Yesterday [Friday] I had a beautiful talk with Maseko,” Cardoso said about the left-footed winger who can play on either flank but thrives more on the right.
“When I was asked about Maseko inside the club, and we had to discuss the situation of Maseko, obviously we had to understand whether or not he wanted to stay with us because I don’t want to work with players who don’t want to be part of our group.
“So, my question on Thapelo, I even asked him, ‘my heart is open for you, the team is open for you. If you want to join us and stay with an open heart with us.’ Obviously, when Thapelo says, ‘I want to go to another place’, then it becomes a club’s question and not a coach’s question.
“I am not falling deeply inside the dossiers of the conversations that happen, so I cannot give more explanations rather than say Thapelo is a wonderful boy and we like him very much. Obviously he had that spell in Cyprus, and he did very well.”
THAPELO MASEKO’S COMPETITION AT MAMELODI SUNDOWNS
Should Maseko decide to stay at Masandawana, he would have competition for game time from the likes of new signings Siyanda Ndlovu and Antonio van Wyk, as well as Tashreeq Matthews and Kutlwano Letlhaku.
Cardoso added that the winger is now emotionally settled but still insists it is up to the club to decide whether the player stays or not.
“He is emotionally in a very good place, then he went to the World Cup and got a chance to play and even to score. We are absolutely happy,” Cardoso declared.
“Look, he and I exchanged messages throughout the competition, and I even helped him to understand how he had to put energy into what he was doing. Now it’s up to the club to solve the question, defending the rights of the club, of course and trying to see what is best for the player.”
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