Mamelodi Sundowns defender Ricardo Nascimento may have grown up in Brazil but has adapted to life in the PSL and made South Africa his new home.

Nascimento may be more than 7,700km away from home in Ilheus, Brazil, but the Sundowns defender, along with the rest of the South American contingent in the PSL, has made South Africa his home away from home.

‘South Africa has been awesome since I arrived and in many ways, it’s similar to Brazil with the weather and the people.

‘I have been here for more than two years now and it’s great here, definitely my second home,’ Nascimento said.

Since arriving in the country in 2006, the 31-year-old has won the Caf Champions League, Caf Super Cup and Absa Premiership titles.

The Brazilian, however, is not the only South American footballer to have made the switch to the PSL. Over the past few seasons, a host of South Americans have made the move to the PSL, which includes Gustavo Paez, Leonardo Castro (both at Kaizer Chiefs) and Gaston Sirino – also at Sundowns.

Paez is from Venezuela, Castro is Colombian and Sirino is from Uruguay. Due to their inability to speak English, the four footballers – through the sport they love – have formed a strong friendship.

‘It is thanks to football that we know each other and find ourselves in the PSL. In South Africa, people speak English and where we come from, the main languages are Portuguese and Spanish. Although they are different, we can understand each other,’ Nascimento said.

Learning English has been a challenge for Nascimento: ‘English is quite different from Portuguese. I find it a bit difficult but will continue to learn.’

The foursome can be seen around Johannesburg together in their spare time as they enjoy meeting for dinner and touring.

Photo: Samuel Shivambu/BackpagePix