Leon on Al Ahli test, handling pressure and idol Falcao

Brayan Leon embarked on his Mamelodi Sundowns journey in January this year and has made quite an impact.

He helped the South African club win the CAF Champions League title and now wants to be the difference-maker when his team face Al Ahli in the FIFA African-Asian-Pacific Cup, which is part of the FIFA Intercontinental Cup 2026™.

Sundowns face the Saudi Arabian side in Pretoria on Saturday, 19 September, and will be looking to the player who joined their ranks from Deportivo Independiente Medellin to lead the way.

Leon chipped in with five goals during Sundowns' Champions League campaign and has scored 18 times in 35 appearances for the club. FIFA caught up with him ahead of their clash with Al Ahli.

FIFA: A big week lies ahead as Saudi Arabia’s Al Ahli come to town. How are you preparing for this match?

Brayan Leon: Personally, I’m feeling very relaxed about it. No pressure whatsoever. That’s how you need to approach these types of games. We don’t need to put ourselves under any pressure. That feeling will come when we’re a day away, or when we’re on our way to the stadium. That’s the kind of pressure you want, that spark to fire you up. When it’s a final, that’s how you have to approach it. As far as I’m concerned, every game should be played with that same spark. You should feel pressure, but only in the run-up to the game. Without it, it’s very difficult to perform to the best of your ability.

You’ll be playing on home soil, supported by nearly 50,000 fans. How beneficial will that be?

Having the home advantage can only be a positive thing. Having the backing of your fans really spurs you on. For me, it doesn’t matter what game it is or who you’re up against. When your fans are cheering you on, that’s worth more than anything. You have to give the fans credit for that as well. They’re always cheering us on and making sure we know we’re not alone.

You’ll be up against a team who have several top players like Edouard Mendy, Demiral, Trincao and Ivan Toney. How will you approach that challenge?

We know the calibre of players they have at their disposal, the strength in depth of their squad, and the level and potential they possess. They’re Asian champions, and we’re African champions. They’ll be thinking about us as well.

If you get through this round, you could face a Mexican outfit like Toluca, or the South American team that wins the Copa Libertadores. How special would that be?

That game would mean a great deal to me. We’d be up against a formidable opponent. Clubs who know how to navigate finals. Football there is very different from the way it’s played and experienced here. It’d be a mouthwatering occasion. Mamelodi Sundowns went toe-to-toe with Fluminense at the Club World Cup in 2025, so they’ve already had a taste of it. But progressing to the next round and facing one of those clubs would be a huge achievement.

How did you settle in when you first arrived at Mamelodi Sundowns?

I decided to take the leap and come here, although it was tough at first. When someone mentions moving to South Africa, the first thing that hits you is just how far away it is. It’s a completely different culture. You arrive and realise you’re at the best club here, with the best players, and everything is first-class. You look at the players they have amongst their ranks and most of them have been to the World Cup, with the majority representing their countries. It’s a club that paves the way for the national team and expects to win every trophy possible.

And it could hardly have started better, with the club lifting their second African Champions League trophy...

The team welcomed me with open arms from the moment I walked through the door. My team-mates understood what I wanted from the get-go. I told them how I like to play and that I needed their help if we were going to do a clean sweep. And that’s exactly how it went.

For me, the Champions League journey was the one that mattered the most. I came in and ended up winning the biggest competition in African football. That’s where we show why we’re the best team on the continent. I was absolutely over the moon to win the Champions League. When I joined the club, they told me we had to win the tournament, and that’s exactly what we did.

What do you remember about the moment you lifted the trophy?

When you have the trophy in your grasp, you realise this is exactly why you made the move here. You achieve what you set out to do, and you feel a real sense of pride. To go down in history. Everyone says it’s the most important trophy in Africa, and lifting it makes you realise why. I was absolutely ecstatic in that moment.

We’re still champions, but nothing compares to the moment I lifted the trophy. And everything we went through along the way makes it all the more special. I joined the club halfway through the competition, so I’m really proud of what I managed to achieve in such a short space of time.

Your coach is Miguel Cardoso, who’s been at the helm for almost two years. What’s he like to play under?

The coach knows the African game like the back of his hand. He’s reached three Champions League finals. He came out second-best on two occasions, but third time was the charm. Credit where credit’s due for the work he’s done. He’s one of the best coaches on the continent. He knows the game inside out and knows what it takes to be successful. We have to follow his lead. If he makes a mistake, we all make the same mistake. For me, he’s a top-drawer coach. I like him because he really understands the players. If you’re frustrated, he’ll come and have a chat with you, and the same goes if you’re not 100 per cent or you pick up a knock. He’s always looking out for you. When I first arrived, he’d call me to see how I was settling in, whether it was in the country, the city, my home or with the team. He was always willing to lend a hand with anything I needed.

Tragically, Jayden Adams recently passed away. He was someone you shared the dressing room with at Sundowns. How profoundly did that affect you and the club?

It was really tough, and it still is. We were due to travel to Austria that day, and everyone was in good spirits because the lads who’d been at the World Cup were joining up with the rest of the squad. I arrived in a great mood, with my tunes on, but the news just left me shell-shocked. It makes your heart sink. He was someone I shared a lot of happy moments with, someone I laughed with, and someone I had such a close bond with. The coach told us that we had to use it to become a more tight-knit group. And that it was meant to prepare us for what lay ahead. To bring us closer together and do everything in his honour. He was hugely important to the club and to us, and the first time I saw him play, I told the coach that he was a special player. It was incredibly sad.