Iqraam Rayners’ response to his first ever match for Mamelodi Sundowns without both Lucas Ribeiro Costa and Peter Shalulile has sent signals about the responsibilities ahead of him this season.
Rayners scored a brace in the 4-0 victory over Richards Bay on Sunday evening in the last MTN8 quarterfinal.
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That double came with the noticeable absence of the two regular sources of goals at the club in recent times.
Sunday was the first match that Rayners has ever played for Sundowns without both Ribeiro and Shalulile also taking to the field.
Ribeiro and Shalulile are caught up in transfer related matters with the Brazilian linked with a return home while the Namibian is the subject of a move to Tunisian giants Esperance.
This then leaves Rayners carrying the weight of goals on his shoulders.
The 29-year-old is in his second season at Chloorkop and will do so having had a superb debut campaign wearing the club’s colours.
A return of 24 goals in 46 appearances was top class considering that he scored in the CAF Champions League final, FIFA Club World Cup, and Carling Knockout final.
Worth noting was that in the league he scored 14 and added nine assists in the 26 games that he played.
If he is to improve on those numbers for the 2025/26 season, then he will have done his job to perfection.
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Two goals in his first match of the season places him on that path to being the man to carry the load of scoring for Sundowns.
This will keep his transfer value on the rise and move towards double what he cost just a year ago when he moved from Stellenbosch.
Photo: Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images
