Bafana Bafana and Mamelodi Sundowns goalkeeper Ronwen Williams poses on the red carpet at the 2024 Ballon d'Or award ceremony. Bafana Bafana and Mamelodi Sundowns goalkeeper Ronwen Williams poses on the red carpet at the 2024 Ballon d'Or award ceremony. Picture: Franck Fife / AFP
South Africans were filled with pride when Ronwen Williams walked the red carpet at the Ballon d'Or awards in Paris on Monday evening.
Williams was the first African-based goalkeeper to be nominated for the award, and looked cool, calm and collected when he was put in front of the world’s press.
Last week, Williams was also nominated for three accolades at the upcoming CAF Awards, where he will be vying for the African Player of the Year, Goalkeeper of the Year, and Interclub Player of the year after stellar performances for Mamelodi Sundowns and Bafana Bafana.
Looking dapper in a black tuxedo, with a white print on the shoulder and sleeve of the jacket, he proceeded to pose for pictures before giving an interview on the red carpet.
“It’s an honour and the privilege to be recognised among the greats,” Williams told the interviewer.
South Africa's first nominee for the Lev Yashin trophy is on the red carpet 🤩
— SuperSport Football ⚽️ (@SSFootball) October 28, 2024
Listen to what Ronwen Williams had to say 👇
📺 Stream #BallonDOr on DStv: https://t.co/B0jLrQW5cc pic.twitter.com/bRWA7oakoR
“It’s a massive achievement ... I still get goosebumps. Hopefully this will open the doors for more South Africans and Africans to get the recognition they deserve.”
When asked about fellow nominees for the Yashin Trophy, he said: “They are playing at the highest level and in the most prestigious tournaments and doing well. I try and copy from them and try to get to their level.”
In the end, Williams placed ninth in the standings for the awards, which were adjudicated by an international jury of specialised journalists, with one representative per country from the top 100 in the latest FIFA rankings.
Aston Villa and Argentina shot-stopper Emiliano Martinez ended up winning for a second consecutive time, which left a bitter taste in the mouths of some South Africans, who felt the Mzansi’s No 1 should have walked away with the award.
Williams kept an astonishing 30 clean sheets in 46 matches for Sundowns last season, while conceding just 19 goals in the their triumphant league campaign in the Premiership.
He also led Bafana to the bronze medal at the Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year, after making history by saving four penalties in a single shootout in the quarter-finals against Cape Verde.
Martínez, on the other hand, played 62 matches for club and country, keeping 25 clean sheets and making four saves in penalty shootouts.
In the process, Martínez helped Aston Villa return to the Champions League after more than 40 years, while also playing a key role in helping Argentina lift back-to-back Copa America titles in 2024.
It’s that success with the Argentina national team and Aston Villa that saw him win the award, as one criteria is “team performances and achievements”.
With Bafana falling short of the AFCON title and Sundowns falling short in the CAF Champions League, Williams faced an uphill battle to topple Martinez, who has also won the World Cup in Qatar in 2022 with his national team.
Williams, however, can still be proud of his achievements. He will definitely open more doors for African footballers to be recognised at the Ballon d'Or awards in future.
@JohnGoliath82