Mamelodi Sundowns playmaker Lucas Ribeiro and his coach Miguel Cardoso have been crowned February Player of the Month in the Betway Premiership following an impressive performance.
Ribeiro was the toast for Sundowns in February as they rolled over their opponents, winning six of their seven matches in the ‘Month of Love’ to move 15 points clear at the top of the PSL table by the close of the month.
Sundowns started February with a 4-0 thrashing of Golden Arrows, when Ribeiro scored one and set up another, following it up with a 3-0 victory against SuperSport United in the Thswane derby that saw the Brazilian provide one assist.
Ribeiro too hot in February
They would make a major statement of intent by hammering title rivals Orlando Pirates 4-1, Ribeiro winning the Man of the Match award, after two goals and an assist, one of them a contender for Goal of the Season after a great solo run before finding the back of the net.
A seemingly tired Sundowns would then get beaten 1-0 by TS Galaxy but responded with a 3-1 comeback win against Marumo Gallants, Ribeiro scoring one, before getting their revenge over TS Galaxy by winning 4-1.
Sundowns completed February with a 4-2 win against Sekhukhune United, when Ribeiro scored again, taking his tally for the month to five goals and three assists, which made him the outright winner for the Player of the Month accolade.
Can anyone catch Sundowns?
Sundowns coach Cardoso was crowned for leading his side to the impressive run when they collected 18 of the 21 points available and it is now two months in a row that Ribeiro and his coach have won the award after claiming the January accolades as well.
It will take something special from the other teams to stop them from making it a hat-trick in March as they have similarly started well, with Ribeiro being the match winner when his well-taken goal sunk Kaizer Chiefs 1-0, on March 1.
The Sundowns midfielder was closely followed by Sekhukhune United midfielder, Keletso Makgalwa as well as his club teammate, Iqraam Rayners in the closely contested category.
In addition to being voted the best player for the month, Ribeiro’s solo run in Sundowns’ victory over Pirates in Tshwane was voted the best goal of the month, marking Ribeiro’s second successive award in the category after winning it in January.
