He’s been nothing short of inspirational, which has earned him global acclaim and his presence in the Bafana squad for their Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers makes them likely to register a clean sheet. At 1.86 odds, it’s a bet worth taking.
- Stellar performances
- Global recognition
- The coach’s thoughts
Top performances
Ronwen Williams has been the backbone of the defence for both club and country. The 32-year-old seems to have entered his prime - not unusual for goalkeepers at this age.
He successfully guided Mamelodi Sundowns to the inaugural African Football League title last term where he only conceded in one of six games.
The numbers he’s been producing both in local and continental competitions have been nothing short of incredible.
In the CAF Champions League, Williams started 11 games and kept the opponents at bay eight times, producing a clean sheet rate of 73%.
The Gqeberha-born keeper made 22 appearances in the PSL for Masandawana and registered 15 shut-outs (68%), an incredible rate for the domestic league.
His international performances have matched his club form as he was instrumental in leading Bafana Bafana to the bronze medal at the AFCON in the Ivory Coast this year.
Williams kept six clean sheets from 11 games at the tournament, which earned him hero status with South Africans.
It’s worth noting that the shot-stopper wasn’t in the squad for South Africa’s opening two qualifiers, both of which they conceded two goals apiece.
With his recovery from injury, it might prove near impossible for Congo-Brazzaville to break through this wall at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Friday night.
Earning plaudits
The praise that Ronwen Williams is receiving is warranted and not just biased words from local media.
The season he’s had with Sundowns and the national team has earned him a nomination for the Ballon d'Or Yashin Trophy.
While he joins a list of fellow Africans to be nominated, if he takes the award home, Williams will be the first African-based goalkeeper to bag the trophy.
Whether he brings it home or not won’t matter to him. Being nominated and acknowledged by some of the best footballers in the world will be what he cares about.
There’s no doubt that he will be spurred on by the nomination and continue in the same vein of form.
This term, he’s already kept clean sheets in half of the matches he’s played in, encouraging the notion that a Bafana Bafana clean sheet is not impossible on Friday night.
What his Bafana goalkeeping coach says
Former Orlando Pirates and SuperSport United stopper, Grant Johnstone mentors Williams at a national level.
He mentioned that several aspects of his game made the national captain special. Williams’ distribution, comfort with the ball at his feet and ability to play out the back makes him one of the best in the business.
He’s certainly grown in confidence and stature and being trusted with the armband has contributed positively to his overall game.
It will certainly take something special for Congo-Brazaville to land a blow against the hosts in Williams’ hometown of Gqeberha on Friday night.