Ronwen Williams/ Picture: Instagram
Mamelodi Sundowns goalkeeper Ronwen Williams’ announcement as a Ballon d’Or Yashin trophy nominee took Mzansi by storm as this is an accomplishment any African-based keeper has yet to achieve.
Last night, the South African keeper made his countrymen extremely proud as he was dubbed the ninth-best goalkeeper in the world.
Similarly to his fellow South African athletes, the Bafana Bafana captain separated himself from the rest with his incredible performance on the national team and his club. It was during the AFCON tournament that Ronwen’s full set of skills were on display, propelling his team to a third-place overall finish. He became the first goalkeeper to make four saves in a single AFCON shootout.
It doesn’t just end there. Ronwen then became the first African-based player to score a Ballon d’Or nomination, further establishing his case as one of the best talents to come out of Mzansi. Unfortunately for Ronwen, the title was ultimately snatched by Aston Villa’s Emiliano Martínez, originally from Argentina, whereas Ronwen was placed ninth overall.
Ronwen Williams has been ranked as the World’s Ninth Best Goalkeeper in the Yacine Trophy Rankings at the 2024 Ballon d’Or Awards.
He is the first Goalkeeper to be nominated for the award while playing for an African club.
He plays for South African club, Mamelodi Sundowns. pic.twitter.com/lGnymt5VMk
— Africa Facts Zone (@AfricaFactsZone) October 28, 2024
Although this momentous achievement is celebrated by Mzansi, some users have expressed their dissatisfaction with where Ronwen was placed, citing that the only reason he wasn’t placed higher is because he is an African player who is also based in Africa. According to these users, Ronwen’s performance throughout this season was objectively better than Emiliano’s, with clean sheets being an example.
I knew that Ronwen Williams was not going to win. The system doesn’t include anything that is outside Europe. If Martinez wasn’t playing on European he wasn’t gonna win, too. These awards have just become like grammy awards. We are proud of our boy, Ronwen Williams. 🤧
— Certified Khulichina 🍥 (@King_MM_M) October 28, 2024
Oksalayo Ronwen Williams is better than Martinez his only crime is playing in an African league pic.twitter.com/kTA5P6R363
— Anele_ace (@Anele5151) October 28, 2024
Although ninth place was not the goal, this achievement by Sundown’s keeper serves as motivation for more African players that winning the trophy is not impossible. Due to historical context, Africa is often left out of important conversations, particularly in global sports, however, Ronwen has opened that door for many.
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