Sundowns Under-15s to compete at Kevin de Bruyne tournament | The Citizen

Mamelodi Sundowns Under-15 team will become the first African team to participate at the international Kevin de Bruyne Cup which will take place in Belgium in June.

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Commonly known as the KDB Cup, the tournament spearheaded by Manchester City and Belgium midfielder De Bruyne, is in its seventh edition having begun back in 2016.

Sundowns juniors‘ participation at the tournament was facilitated by Roc Nation Sports International, the global sports agency which represents both the Pretoria based club and De Bruyne.

Club chairman Tlhopie Motsepe says the tournament will expose the Sundowns juniors to different styles of football.

“Our club and supporters are very excited for our academy players. As much as we know that this is a wonderful opportunity to expose our youngsters to different styles of football and a different way of life,” said the Downs chairman.

“We also believe that this is an opportunity for our youth team to expose the participating clubs to African football and African friendship. I would like to thank Kevin De Bruyne and our associates at Roc Nation Sports International for making this possible for the Under-15’s.”

De Bruyne shared a short video message to Bafana Ba Style juniors, welcoming the team to the tournament and said he has no doubt that they will be a good addition to the competition.

“It’s a proud moment for me to welcome Mamelodi Sundowns as the first African team to participate in the tournament. We are well aware of the success and values Mamelodi Sundowns stands for as a club, and I have no doubt their youth team will be a wonderful addition to the team roster,” said the Man City player via a video.

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“I’m so excited to meet the Sundowns team, and can’t wait to see our South African friends in June. Best of luck.”

At the tournament, Sundowns youth side will compete with the likes of Barcelona FC, Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.