Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso praised Nuno Santos for responding to a difficult period away from the team with a match-winning performance against Al Ahli Jeddah.
Santos returned to the starting XI for the first time after recently being left out of the Sundowns squad, amid reports of uncertainty surrounding his future at the club.
But the Portuguese midfielder answered the questions on the pitch, scoring both goals as Sundowns beat Al Ahli 2-1 on Saturday to win the FIFA African-Asian-Pacific Cup 2026.
Santos was also named Player of the Match after producing a decisive performance on his return.
Cardoso revealed that the decision to restore Santos to the starting XI followed several conversations between the pair, with the coach also noticing a shift in the player’s mindset.
“Sometimes we play cards, we expect them to go well and they go wrong, other times we play cards, we have expectations to go well and they go well, I always say we are not magicians, but sometimes we can make magic and the players can do magic,” Cardoso said.
“I think what happened today was that they embraced each other, Nuno had his moment, it was not an easy moment and it’s not important to speak about it today, what is important is that he has a smile on his face today.
“And because he found that smile, I felt confident to put him to play – so I did give him an opportunity to play, to have a smile, he smiled, he embraced the team, he embraced the teammates.”
Cardoso said Santos had also made a commitment to put Sundowns’ needs ahead of his own situation.
“We had many talks and he said, ‘coach I will give the team what the team needs from me and it’s there I will prove that I am with guys all the way’.”
That commitment was rewarded in the best possible fashion.
Santos not only returned to the starting XI but delivered the performance that secured another international trophy for Sundowns, while also giving the midfielder a timely reminder of his importance to Cardoso’s plans.
For Sundowns, the victory provided another piece of silverware. For Santos, it offered perhaps the strongest response possible to a difficult period — two goals, a Man of the Match award and a trophy on his return.
