Colombian striker Brayan Leon could be the trump card for South African club Mamelodi Sundowns on Sunday against Moroccan visitors FAR Rabat in the Caf Champions League final first leg.
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The 25-year-old has been in sparkling form since joining the Pretoria outfit in January, scoring 11 goals in the South African Premiership and five in the Champions League.
His African tally included the solitary goals in both legs of the semifinal triumph over four-time champions Esperance of Tunisia.
"Brayan is a fighter. He reminds me of (former Sweden star Zlatan) Ibrahimovic the way he battles for every ball," said teammate Jayden Adams in a pre-final press conference.
"He presses constantly. Brayan can turn a bad pass into a good one. He adds quality to our team and is an incredible footballer."
Leon will line up against FAR, having scored a hat-trick and a brace in his last two South African league matches. He had another goal wrongly disallowed.
Apart from wanting to help Sundowns win the elite African club competition a second time, the South American will also be eyeing the Golden Boot award for leading scorer.
His five goals place him joint second, one goal behind Cameroonian Taddeus Nkeng from Malian club Stade Malien and Mahmoud Trezeguet from record 12-time Champions League winners Al Ahly of Egypt.
Five goals deep and still hungry 😮💨
— TotalEnergies CAFCL & CAFCC 🏆 (@CAFCLCC) May 15, 2026
Can Brayan León deliver again for Mamelodi Sundowns in the #TotalEnergiesCAFCL final? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/qpSpoDQbr4
Stade fell to Sundowns and pre-competition favourites Ahly to Esperance in the quarterfinals of a competition first staged in 1964.
While Sundowns rely heavily on Leon for goals, 1985 African champions FAR boast a wide range of potential scorers with five netting two each, including midfielder and captain Mohamed Hrimat.
No FAR player has scored more than once in 14 African matches this season except for winger Youssef El Fahli, who struck twice in a preliminary-round win over Real Banjul in the Gambia.
Sundowns were surprise losers to Egyptian side Pyramids in the final last season, and Portuguese coach Miguel Cardoso is concerned that his team are once again being labelled favourites.
'COMPLETELY WRONG'
"FAR are on the same level as Sundowns. They have developed a very strong team. We respect them," he told reporters.
"Those who believe the final will be easy for us, and not as difficult as the semifinal against Esperance, are completely wrong."
Hear it all from the finalists, Masandawana. 💛 #TotalEnergiesCAFCL pic.twitter.com/15Iw17ydlc
— TotalEnergies CAFCL & CAFCC 🏆 (@CAFCLCC) May 15, 2026
Cardoso is desperate to succeed after reaching the last two Champions League finals and losing both. Before joining Sundowns, he led Esperance to a 2024 final defeat by Ahly.
Sundowns and South Africa captain and goalkeeper Ronwen Williams has spoken of the pain after losing 3-2 on aggregate to Pyramids.
"We suffered so much after failing in the final. But as the pain gradually faded, we found renewed energy and belief. Hopefully, we will be crowned African champions this time."
FAR, who upset Cardoso by allegedly obtaining a wide-angle tactical video of a recent Sundowns Premiership match, have kept a low profile since arriving in South Africa on Friday.
They also have a Portuguese coach, Alexandre Santos, and he has already claimed a significant victory over Sundowns when in charge of Angolan club Petro Luanda.
Dismissed as outsiders in a 2021 Champions League quarterfinal, Petro beat Sundowns in Luanda and forced a draw in Johannesburg to advance.
"Every day we work on tactical, physical and mental preparations. We want to represent FAR and Morocco in the best possible way," said Santos.
"Sundowns are a well-organised team with considerable experience of competing in Africa. We are focusing on tactical discipline, reducing mistakes and taking advantage of opportunities."
We're not done yet and we've still got to fight! 👆
— Mamelodi Sundowns FC (@Masandawana) May 15, 2026
This is more than a final. It’s a story still being written 🙌#Sundowns #TotalEnergiesCAFCL #AreyengMasandawanaUntilItsDone pic.twitter.com/xJEY6ljRLs
Neither Sundowns nor FAR were happy when Jean-Jacques Ndala Ngambo from the Democratic Republic of Congo was chosen to referee the first leg, but the organisers rejected calls for a change.
Ngambo handled the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final. Most of the Senegal team walked off the pitch after Morocco were awarded a penalty. They later returned and won 1-0 in extra time.
Morocco appealed to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and were awarded a 3-0 victory. Senegal are now awaiting the outcome of their appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.