Sandile Ndlovu, a goalscoring sensation in his heyday, believes the team's performance drops whenever star player Themba Zwane is not on the pitch.
On Tuesday in the Tshwane Derby against cross-town rivals SuperSport United, the man nicknamed 'Mshishi' came from the bench and turned the game on its head, helping Sundowns beat Matsatsantsa 2-0 at Loftus Versfeld Stadium.
"Without Themba Zwane, no, they are not the same team," notes Ndlovu, speaking to KickOff.
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"Themba Zwane is the only playmaker at Mamelodi Sundowns. They don't have any other playmaker, and you can see his teammates at Sundowns believe in him. Every time he comes in, there's a huge change.
"Sundowns can play without Teboho Mokoena, they can play without Khuliso Mudau, but not without Themba Zwane.
"He is the key player. He is the one who makes things happen at Sundowns at the moment.
"So, we can't run away from the truth. without Themba Zwane, the team is not playing well. He controls the Sundowns game. There are very few players who can do that," continues the man popularly known as 'AK-47'.
Ndlovu went on to reveal what makes the Tembisa-born star special.
"Themba Zwane is not playing for himself. He is not selfish. He makes everyone tick, and he shares the ball with his teammates.
"Look at the way he allowed his teammate's ball to roll into the net on Tuesday. Honestly speaking, if it was me, I would have scored that ball. I would have finished it up.
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"I remember my teammate at Maritzburg United, Kabamba Musasa, finishing my ball as it was about to cross the goal line. I couldn't believe the way he sprinted for a ball that was already goal-bound.
"So, it shows Themba Zwane is a team player. He didn't want to risk being caught off-side. So, in football, there are very few players like that."
Head coach Manqoba Mngqithi, however, has maintained that he will be managing the veteran this season, giving a hint that he is going to continue to come off the bench to affect matches.