Ex-Chile Under 17 captain set to complete switch to SA

Chile’s national under 17 captain at the 2015 FIFA World Cup, Marcelo Iván Allende Bravo, looks set to complete his move to Mamelodi Sundowns this week.

The new Sandawana playmaker left the Arturo Merino Benitez Airport in Santiago, Chile, for South Africa on Monday night and is expected in Pretoria on Tuesday morning.  

Allende joins the DStv Premiership champions from Montevideo City Torque, who confirmed his move last month via a statement.

The Uruguay Primera Division outfit, who are part of the City Football Group [Manchester City], bid farewell to the 23-year-old who spent two-and-a-half years at the club.

“Marcelo Allende, player of Los Ciudadanos for three seasons and top assister in the history of Montevideo City Torque, has been transferred to Mamelodi Sundowns,” the club wrote in a statement.

“The club thanks the player for his great humanity and professional quality. All of the best for the future, Marcelo!”

On Monday night, a certain Leon posted a farewell message in Spanish, to which the former Chile youth international responded with a statement of gratitude.

The former Arsenal trialist has been in the country before when he participated in the 2016 Durban International Cup. He was a trialist with the Gunners of London at the time before getting his senior team debut with Chilean second-tier outfit Deportes Santa Cruz in the 2016/17 season.

He then secured a switch to Mexico, where he turned out for Necaxa. A loan spell followed that at Magallanes in Chile. In January 2020, he joined Torque.

He struck twice at the 2015 Under 17 World Cup against Nigeria and the United States. South Africa participated in the same tournament under the tutelage of Molefe Ntseki.

According to transfermkt, the attacking midfielder, who can also play on either wing, has scored 18 goals in 106 matches. He has 23 assists to his name. 

Once dubbed the next Alexis Sanchez, Martin Lasarte handed him his senior national team debut against El Salvador on December 12, 2021 in an international friendly. He featured five times for the Under 17s and 10 for the Under 20s, scoring once.