Stats should have earned me awards nominations: Sundowns' Rayners
Iqraam Rayners of Mamelodi Sundowns.
Image: Richard Huggard
Mamelodi Sundowns striker Iqraam Rayners admits being disappointed after he was overlooked for nominations for the Premier Soccer League Awards.
Rayners had an outstanding campaign in his first season with Sundowns after joining them from Stellenbosch FC, contributing 14 goals and nine assists in 26 matches as he helped the club win their eighth successive Premiership title.
He was not nominated for any of the awards despite having an impressive season and feels he deserves to be among the nominees.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐏𝐨𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐠! 🎙🔥We are back with another episode after an incredible season, joined by Iqraam Rayners as he reflects on a standout season, discusses the PSL awards & looks ahead to the upcoming campaign! 🙌
The… pic.twitter.com/5HCHdEKbAA — Mamelodi Sundowns FC (@Masandawana) July 28, 2025
The TV-only PSL Awards will be broadcast on SuperSport on Tuesday night (7pm).
'I'm a bit disappointed because [with] what I did last season I had a good campaign with a good team, good players helping me,' Rayners said on Sundowns' Pitchside Podcast.
'The coaches believed in me, so I was disappointed when I saw the players nominated. I think my stats from last season were good enough to be in a lot of nominations.'
The Bafana Bafana striker believes Sundowns teammate Lucas Ribeiro was the best player this past season. Rayners feels he should have been second in the pecking order of nominations.
'For me, the best player in the league was Lucas. I think I'm second after Lucas,' he said.
'My stats were the second best, so I was disappointed.'
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