Durban — One player who will be hoping to kick on for Mamelodi Sundowns next season is Erwin Saavedra. The 26-year-old moved to Masandawana earlier this year and experienced a frustrating first few months in South Africa. Due to injury, he was limited to just three appearances in all competitions.
“It was a different experience from what I am used to. However, to win two trophies is great even though I got them in a way I would not have preferred since I was injured. These are titles which will forever be part of my CV,” the Bolivian international said.
While several South American and European players have played in the South African top-flight over the years, Saavedra boasts the rare distinction of being a fully capped Bolivia national team player. Interestingly, his European team-mate Pavol Safranko is a fully capped Slovakia international. This proves that Sundowns are now in a position whereby they can attract quality players from Europe and South America to their ranks.
Saavedra has said that he is not used to getting injured and this is something that will give Downs fans hope that he will be able to feature regularly next season.
“The coaches told me that injuries are part of football. To me, this is a part of football that I have never experienced before and it is new to me. I am only hoping to start the next season in the best way possible. Together we can achieve new objectives that we didn’t achieve this season,” he said.
Saavedra joined Sundowns in February in a deal which will end in June 2024. Prior to playing for Sundowns, he was on the books of Brazilian club Goias EC and Bolivar in his native Bolivia.
One of the big strengths of the La Paz born player is that he is versatile. While mainly a right sided midfielder, he is also capable of slotting into defence when required. He has earned 18 caps for the Bolivia national team with the most recent coming during a 3-2 defeat to Chile in World Cup qualifying back in February.
Sundowns will once again be aiming to dominate South African football next season with Saavedra in the mix.
IOL Sport