Today it feels great to be an African football follower.
Do not mistake me for that pipe-smoking statesman. But don’t, pretty please, begrudge me from borrowing from his speech in which he regaled us about owing his being “to the hills and the valleys, the mountains and the glades, the rivers, the deserts, the trees, the flowers, the seas and the ever-changing seasons that define the face of our native land”, back in 1996, when Thabo Mbeki was deputy president.
Those of us who worship at the altar of all things pigskin, were this week greeted by the terrific tidings that one of our own, Ronwen Williams, has been nominated as the first footballer playing in Africa as one of the best goalkeepers in the world.
What a wow!
The man who mans the posts for Mamelodi Sundowns is in great company in the top 10 best glovemen category in the globe for the prestigious Ballon d’Or Yashin Trophy. Current holder of the title, World Cup winning Argentina and Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, is among the nominees.
Should the judges bestow the honour on Williams, he’ll become the second African footballer to take home a best player in the world award, following in the footsteps of the legendary George Weah
Williams’ pulsating penalty-saving prowess ranks among the best in the world as produced in Ivory Coast at the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) early this year and were pivotal for Bafana Bafana’s progress to the Afcon semifinals, banishing a 24-year absence from the last four at the continental showpiece.
That achievement catapulted him to the second position behind Martez for spot-kick shootout saves at major international events since 2021.
Should the judges bestow the honour on Williams, he will become the second African footballer to take home a best player in the world award, following in the footsteps of the legendary George Weah, the Liberian who pipped German striker Jurgen Klinsmann and Finland finisher Jari Litmanen to the post 29 years ago to become the only African and non-European to win the Ballon d’Or.
What’s the brouhaha about, when Williams hasn’t even won the award, I hear you wonder out loud. Well, it is a crowning moment for a boy of 12 who packed his suitcase, left all he knew in his Gqeberha home and boarded a bus to pursue a dream as a professional footballer in Pretoria.
There, he learnt the ropes at the SuperSport United youth academy and rose through the ranks under the guidance of Alex Heredia, 1996 Afcon hero Andre Arendse and Grant Johnson, the current national team goalkeeper coach.
There were horror shows and obstacles to overcome on the way to become the first-choice Bafana keeper. Only the brave can bounce back from conceding 46 goals in 37 matches in a single season, as did Williams at SuperSport.
He acknowledged not applying himself. A baptism of fire left him bruised and battered when Brazil, inspired by hat-trick hero Neymar, bulldozed the hosts at FNB Stadium and blasted five past him on his Bafana debut.
A lesser man would have wilted. Not Williams. That bollocking in 2014 strengthened his resolve. It willed him to work even harder to become the best.
By the time he changed colours to Sundowns, the cross-town-rivals in the capital, his class showed — with 30 clean sheets in 46 matches across all competitions. The Bafana skipper passed South Africa’s toughest test, with four out of five penalty saves against Cape Verde to secure a passage to the Afcon final four.
What followed were two more blocks in the shootout against the Democratic Republic of Congo, his heroics helping Bafana bag the bronze medal for the first time since the 2000 edition in Nigeria.
He singlehandedly restored respect to the national jersey. He rejuvenated the country’s romance with a team infamously branded “a bunch of losers” by then sports minister Fikile Mbalula for their decades of underwhelming performances.
The hullaballoo is about a boy who dared to dream, was beaten down by his demons, refused to be defeated and rose to ride the crest of the wave. Ride on Ronwen, you braveheart. Because of you, today it feels great to be an African football follower.
PS: We missed you on Friday night at Orlando Stadium. Wink, wink.
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