Modise issues stark warning to Sundowns over ageing squad

14 Sep 2026, 12:17 by Chadley Nagel · KickOff

With Mamelodi Sundowns competing on multiple fronts this season, the side's 'ageing spine' has come up for discussion in the latest edition of the CarWash Podcast, with Teko Modise issuing a challenge to the kings of African football.

In a wide-ranging conversation between former footballers Modise, Brighton Mhlongo and Given Mashikinya, questions centred on whether Sundowns' squad age was a possible weakness or a potential strength.

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"You need senior players"

Modise, leveraging his experience at the highest level, emphasised the importance of having experienced heads in the dressing room to guide the next generation.

"You need to have senior players within the team who were able to carry and help the youngsters to develop, because it's important when we were young," Modise remarked.

Mosimane's vision revisited

This conversation has cropped up a few times before. In 2020, the side's then head coach Pitso Mosimane openly acknowledged their average age, with the likes of Wayne Arendse, Andile Jali, Sibusiso Vilakazi and Themba Zwane all over the age of 30. His vision was to target signings below the age of 25 and to promote academy talent to the first team.

This was referenced in part by Modise during the podcast, as he issued a stark warning about the dangers of procrastination when it comes to succession planning.

"You can't wait for Themba Zwane to retire and then say we need to find a replacement. You need to find a replacement right now; we need to be able to play Mamelodi Sundowns without [him] and still be able to survive," he said.

Cardoso's balancing act

Looking at the current picture, coach Miguel Cardoso took over a team almost overburdened with talent. He stated his objective was to trim the squad down without dropping the standard, focusing instead on a few strong options for each position on the field — accomplished through the club parting ways with some players and arranging loan moves for others.

However, the Portuguese tactician also acknowledged the need to balance emerging young players against established figures such as Zwane and Ronwen Williams.

Experience is irreplaceable

The conversation on the CarWash also turned to recent injuries plaguing teams including Sundowns, Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs, as well as player integration.

Giving his insight, Mhlongo commented:

"You need those experienced players who also understand that there's a role I play on the field in helping the player to become better technically and tactically."

Ability without experience is naivety

Framing the debate in the context of Bafana Bafana and possible squad formations, Mashikinya also weighed in, using the analogy of veterans like Karim Benzema and Luka Modric.

"For me, personally, I feel like prime is ability and experience, because if you have an ability and you can't really read the game, you can't understand what's happening, you don't know the dynamics of the game, you are just naïve," Mashikinya concluded.