There may have been some who questioned Mamelodi Sundowns’ thinking in signing 34-year-old Bradley ‘Surprise’ Ralani, but co-coach Manqoba Mngqithi insists wingers numbers in several key attacking metrics show he has what it takes to thrive.

The Brazilians confirmed the signing of Ralani from Cape Town City FC at the end of last year, with many asking why they would bring in a player of that age in an area where they are already blessed with an abundance of talent.

Downs, however, believe that signing the winger on an 18-month deal, until the end of the 2022-23 season, will be adding something different to their squad.

Mngqithi, speaking to Metro FM‘s ‘Ultimate Sports Show’ revealed what the thinking was in signing the veteran.

“The truth of the matter is when you sign a 34-year-old, people are already looking at you and say what are you trying to do.

“But when you look at numbers of Surprise Ralani you will be surprised because his numbers surpass by far the numbers of our players in terms of high-intensity runs, number of dribbles, number of successful dribbles, number of shots at goal and number of assists.

“He has been consistent in that space, we just believe he is one of those underrated players that probably is ready to be worth of maybe getting some serious awards in the league because he has been very consistent, and his numbers will surprise you.

“We needed that type of winger, we needed dribblers, people who can assist in a one-on-one situation, dominate and get assists in total, and Bradley is not a surprise in that space.”