Mamelodi Sundowns' Miguel Cardoso laughs off critics who doubted his title-winning credentials - 'People having doubts about me was never a problem; look at the journey'

Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso is a relieved man after leading the club to this season's Premier Soccer League (PSL) title.

Cardoso recalled how many doubted his ability to manage the Brazilians or even lead them to any trophy.

Looking back to his coaching journey, the former Esperance head coach said his critics did not look at his curriculum vitae and were quick to judge him.

“People having doubts about me was never a problem. They were not attentive to me or where I came from. 16 years ago, I played a UEFA Europa League final as an assistant coach at [Sporting] Braga against FC Porto]. So I’ve gone a long way before I arrived at Sundowns," Cardoso said, as quoted by FARPost.

“But people didn’t pay attention to that; they went back and asked, ‘How many trophies has he won?’ Many coaches that are even better than me will never even win a trophy because they have never been in a place where winning is possible, but they have won many other things," he added.

“We lost the final with Braga against Porto, but go back and look at which teams we defeated before we reached the final. Liverpool, Dynamo Kyiv, Sevilla, Celtic Glasgow, Benfica, and Arsenal, and we lost 1-0 against Porto at the end.

“That trophy, I don’t have. Look at our journey before the final, so on that day, I wasn’t happy, but I was not a loser; I was a winner. I’m still proud.”

Cardoso led Sundowns to their record-extending PSL title, and this came even when his ability to do so was questioned when he took over from coach Manqoba Mngqithi.

Mngqithi was sacked as Sundowns experienced an inconsistent start to the campaign, but Cardoso arrived, stabilised the boat, and Masandawana won their eighth title in a row.

The Portuguese tactician will also contest this season's Champions League trophy. That is another chance for him to win and silence his doubters even more.

Sundowns will host Pyramids FC on May 24 for the first leg of the Champions League before the return leg in Cairo on June 1.

After the continental campaign, the Tshwane giants will start preparing for the Fifa Club World Cup tournament, which will start in mid-June.