Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder Neo Maema has recently discussed the sudden departure of Lucas Ribeiro from the club.
After two successful seasons at Chloorkop, Ribeiro terminated his contract with the team in August and brought the matter to FIFA to secure his release.
A month later, he signed with Cultural Leonesa, a club in the Spanish second division.
In an interview on SoccerBeat, Maema expressed that Ribeiro’s exit took him by surprise.
“Personally, I haven’t spoken to him. After the Club World Cup, they gave us a three-week break. So normally, that time you’re with your family, you’re going on holiday. So that was the last time we spoke, at the FIFA Club World Cup,” the midfielder said.
Maema, who is on loan to Tanzanian giants Simba SC, said he last spoke to Ribeiro at the FIFA Club World Cup.
“When we returned from America (Club World Cup), most of the players from South America went straight home.”
“I don’t think we spoke to anyone. I was also surprised because he was important for us to be honest. It caught us all by surprise, to be honest,” he said.
Maema surprised by Ribeiro’s sudden departure
Since leaving Sundowns, the Brazilian forward has found a new life in Spain. In the 10 matches he’s played for Cultural Leonesa, the 27-year-old has only netted twice. Given that he is playing in the second division in Spain, many PSL fans expected Ribeiro to match his South African goal-scoring record.