Mamelodi Sundowns' desire to strengthen their squad by going across the Atlantic Ocean to tap into the South American market has gained momentum in recent years with the resources being availed at the club.
So often, Sundowns scouts who include Esrom Nyandoro are travelling across South America in search of talent.
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At present, Sundowns have Gaston Sirino (Uruguay), Marcelo Allende (Chile), and Erwin Saavedra (Bolivia).
Expected transfers
They will have Ismael Diaz from Central American country Panama arriving in the next transfer window after matching the price tag of what his Ecuadorian club CD Universidad Catolica have asked for.
Though not necessarily in South America, Diaz's country of birth is a Spanish speaking transcontinental state sharing a border with Colombia on the south.
Diaz has played in two South American countries Uruguay and Ecuador.
Of the three South Americans at Sundowns at present, Allende was the most expensive having reportedly cost approximately R52 million in arriving from Montevideo City Torque in Uruguay.
Sirino and Saavedra came in for a combined R20 million.
"I believe that Sundowns is investing in the South American market because they can afford," points out Uruguayan Bryan Aldave.
Aldave spent just over a year at Chloorkop through his nomadic playing career.
Global recruitment strategy
"Sundowns is now doing what European teams have always been doing which is to look for talent from all over the world.
"They (Sundowns) are enjoying all this success partly due to clearly having all the necessary economic capacity," he adds.
Since the turn of the new millennium the other notable names at the club from South America have been Ricardo Nascimento (Brazil), Mauricio Affonso (Uruguay), Emiliano Tade (Argentina), Jose Ali Meza (Venezuela), Leonardo Castro (Colombia), Jose Torrealba (Venezuela), Jorge Acuna (Chile), Eduardo Ferreira (Brazil), Aldave, Rafael Dudamel (Venezuela), and Vincente Principiano (Argentina).
"I believe Sundowns is club that has grown beyond the African continent since they have already been to the FIFA Club World Cup," reasons Brazilian defender Davi Rancan who played for Moroka Swallows.
"The nature of football is such that clubs now see beyond your nationality.
"The clubs in Europe have been recruited from all over the world for many years and with Sundowns now able to match some of the salaries paid in Europe they are doing the same.
"Football is about opportunities and technology has meant the world has become a smaller place because the internet gives you an idea about any place.
"The power of money attracts anyone from anywhere in the world and it is for that reason that Brazilian players have always gone all over the world.
"So, I feel South Africa is blessed to have a club like Sundowns that is making them see beyond just the local market or the nearest market.
"This is the beauty about football, it takes you places and knows no boundaries," says Rancan, who is now retired.
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