Modiba’s Redemption Mission: Sundowns star eyes glory after 2017 heartbreak

Few players will be carrying the weight of unfinished business like Aubrey Modiba on Saturday at Loftus Stadium in Pretoria.

The Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder is preparing for the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League final against Egyptian side Pyramids FC, but for Modiba, this isn’t just another game. It’s a second chance, a shot at redemption eight years in the making.

Back in 2017, a much younger Modiba featured in the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup final with SuperSport United, only to fall short against TP Mazembe. That painful memory still lingers, and now fuels his hunger to finally conquer the continent.

“It’ll be great for us because we really want to make history in this club as players,” Modiba said.

“We always want to win big trophies and the last one I played in with SuperSport, you know, it was our first one and we didn’t have much experience actually, and we saw how we fell short in that game.”

Much has changed since that final in 2017. Modiba, now 29, has matured into a regular for Bafana Bafana and a key figure in a Sundowns side that continues to dominate domestically.

After clinching an eighth consecutive PSL title, the Tshwane outfit now sets its sights on continental glory, a title that has eluded them since 2016.

“Right now, I think having played so many TotalEnergies CAF Champions League games at Sundowns…we understand what it takes to be able to reach the final and try and win it,” he explained.

“It’s been eluding us for so many years. So, I think right now we’re on the right track. We just have to make sure that we do well in both legs. But you know, firstly at home, I think we’ll need to do well at home.”

Having come so close before, this is the opportunity to finally right the wrongs of 2017.

And if there’s one thing the left-footed dynamo has learned, it’s that finals are won not just with flair, but with resilience, experience and belief.

Now, with one of Africa’s most feared squads, a tactically astute and winning coach, and a dream within reach, Modiba and Sundowns are determined not to let this one slip.

And if they succeed, Aubrey Modiba’s name will be forever etched in gold, not just as a league champion, but as a continental one too.