With Mamelodi Sundowns in the CAF Champions League final, former midfielder Keagan Dolly has hinted on what winning the gold medal could mean for a breakout stars.
Sundowns will be bidding to win the trophy that comes with the prestige of a star above the badge, with the two-legged final against Pyramids looming at the end of the month and at the beginning of June.
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With the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup also on the horizon, there are already star players who are tipped to impress top scouts at the tournament.
Considering the age factor, a player such as Jayden Adams could stand a good chance of having a real break-out season, even though he only joined Masandawana in January, while the likes of Lucas Ribeiro Costa also carry the expectations of raising the PSL flag on a world stage.
However, Dolly, in hindsight of the impact of winning the CAF Champions League, believes being crowned African champions could play an even bigger role in propelling the careers of rising stars, after it happened with Bafana Bafana forward Percy Tau while still trying to make a name for himself at The Brazilians.
"Sometimes when you're in the moment you don't appreciate what you've achieved. We were also thinking if we win the CAF Champions League, we get the opportunity to go to the Club World Cup," Dolly reflected on All Rounders SA podcast.
"When we won the first leg of the final 3-0 we knew it was done. Thinking about it now, you realize how big (it was). Remember Percy Tau after the game (final 2nd-leg), he couldn't believe it, he was on loan at Black Aces and they brought him back in the middle of the season, so he was playing from the quarter-finals.
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"I think that's where Percy saw that in football you can achieve a lot and that was his start to stardom," the former Kaizer Chiefs midfielder recalled.
Just like in 2016 against Zamalek, Sundowns will be playing the final first-leg at home and also against an Egyptian opposition and will be hoping history repeats itself after they won 3-0 at Lucas Moripe Stadium and only lost 1-0 in the second-leg, as they were crowned African champions for the first time with a 3-1 aggregate win.
