They may have proved their worth as Telkom Charity Cup champions for a second successive year by winning Saturday’s final in front of a 70 000 crowd at the FNB Stadium while fielding basically different teams for the games against Black Leopards and Bloemfontein Celtic.
Now the intriguing question up for answering with the start of the Premier League programme only days away is: Who are the real Sundowns?
More specifically, it can be asked, which of the high-profiled 30 players in his expensively assembled squad does Argentine coach Angel Cappa intend to field for the opening game against Silver Stars at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane on Sunday?
If Cappa has the answer to this conundrum — and there is a strong suspicion that even the Argentinian coach will need to burn the midnight oil overtime before coming up with a decision — few in the 70 000 crowd at the FNB Stadium emerged any the wiser.
Indeed, the only player at this juncture who would appear reasonably certain of inclusion in Sundowns’ starting line-up for the Premier League opener is evergreen former Bafana Bafana goalkeeper Andre Arendse — and even here there are more than adequate alternatives in Brian Baloyi and new signing Rafael Dudamel, who is being touted as one of the best goalkeepers in Venezuela.
To cloud matters further, two Sundowns players who would in most instances be pencilled into a line-up as automatic choices are midfield dynamo Godfrey Sapula and tough-as-teak central defender Neil Winstanley.
Complicating this supposition, however, is the fact that Sapula and Winstanley were Sundowns’ most disappointing performers in the Charity Cup.
When it comes to the midfield, Cappa may well have to draw lots to choose from a veritable glut of accomplished players, including Clement Mazibuko, Antonio Trigo, Ezrom Nyandoro, Vicente Principiano, Jabu Mendu, Sapula, Surprise Moriri, Peter Ndlovu, Josta Dladla, Benson Mhlongo and Reagan Noble.
Mazibuko, more assertive and productive following a season in Greece, may have an edge on the rest at this stage.
In the striking department, Sundowns have no shortage of adequate performers either, with Lerato Chabangu, Jose Torrealba, Peter Ndlovu, Sandile Ndlovu, Paulus Masehe and Moriri as possible choices.
Choosing four defenders who complement each other could provide Cappa with his biggest headache — and it has been questioned whether the Argentine coach has followed the most productive course in juggling players like a croupier handling a pack of cards in a casino. — Sapa