Maseko Set for Copenhagen Move as Sundowns Chapter Ends

Siyabonga Maseko is on the brink of a fresh start in Europe, with Mamelodi Sundowns and Danish giants Copenhagen having agreed a transfer fee earlier this week.

All that stands between the 22-year-old and his new adventure is a medical, which he is expected to complete after flying out by the weekend. Once that’s done, the deal can be rubber‑stamped and a turbulent spell at Chloorkop will officially be over.

It ends a curious, often frustrating period for a player who has just starred on the biggest stage of all. Maseko was one of Bafana Bafana’s standout performers at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, scoring the winning goal against South Korea as South Africa reached the knockout phase for the first time in their history. He looked like a man ready to kick on.

Instead, the opposite happened at club level.

Despite his World Cup heroics, Sundowns left him out of their pre-season tour to Austria last month, a decision that raised eyebrows and effectively confirmed that his future lay elsewhere. The attacker had already made his stance clear, and coach Miguel Cardoso recently acknowledged that Maseko had expressed a desire to leave.

This is not how it was supposed to unfold when he arrived at Chloorkop.

Maseko joined Sundowns from SuperSport United in July 2023 after a breakout campaign with Matsatsantsa, the kind of season that marks a young player as one to build around. But as the months rolled on, his minutes shrank. Competition for places intensified, and he slipped down the pecking order.

By the second half of last season, he was out of favour and out of the picture.

A loan to AEL Limassol in Cyprus offered a lifeline. There, Maseko rediscovered his spark, piecing together the kind of form that pushed him back into the Bafana Bafana setup. The move did its job on the pitch, even if life off it proved complicated.

The public broadcaster later reported that Maseko did not want to return to Cyprus, with payment issues overshadowing the final months of his spell at Limassol. A repeat of that experience was never going to appeal.

Copenhagen’s decision to buy him outright changes everything.

The Danish club offers him a stable platform in Europe and the chance to compete for honours on the continental stage. For a 22-year-old winger who has already shown he can handle World Cup pressure, it is the kind of stage that can shape a career.

There is history here too. By heading to Copenhagen, Maseko steps onto a path once walked by Sibusiso Zuma, the South African forward who became a club legend after joining in 2000, making 188 appearances and scoring 53 goals. Zuma set a benchmark for South Africans in Denmark.

Now it is Maseko’s turn to see how far he can push that legacy.