Ronwen Williams

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Ronwen Williams

| image = File:RonwenWilliams2014March5.jpg

| caption = Williams with South Africa in 2014

| fullname = Ronwen Hayden Williams

| height = 1.84 m{{Cite web |title=TNT Sports |url=https://www.tntsports.co.uk/football/ronwen-williams_prs325149/person.shtml |access-date=2024-02-08 |website=tntsports.co.uk |language=}}

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1992|01|21}}

| birth_place = Port Elizabeth, South Africa

| currentclub = Mamelodi Sundowns

| clubnumber = 30

| position = Goalkeeper

| youthyears1 =

| youthclubs1 = Shatterprufe Rovers

| youthyears2 =

| youthclubs2 = Tottenham Hotspur

| youthyears3 =

| youthclubs3 = SuperSport United

| years1 = 2010–2022

| clubs1 = SuperSport United

| caps1 = 278

| goals1 = 0

| years2 = 2022–

| clubs2 = Mamelodi Sundowns

| caps2 = 71

| goals2 = 0

| nationalyears1 = 2011

| nationalteam1 = South Africa U20

| nationalcaps1 = 2

| nationalgoals1 = 0

| nationalyears2 = 2021–

| nationalteam2 = South Africa U23

| nationalcaps2 = 3

| nationalgoals2 = 0

| pcupdate = 9 February 2025 (UTC)

| ntupdate = 9 February 2025 (UTC)

| nationalyears3 = 2014–

| nationalteam3 = South Africa

| nationalcaps3 = 50

| nationalgoals3 = 0

| medaltemplates = {{MedalCountry | {{RSA}} }}

}}

Ronwen Hayden Williams (born 21 January 1992) is a South African professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Premier Soccer League club Mamelodi Sundowns and captains the South Africa national team. In 2024, he was nominated for the Yashin Trophy becoming the first South African footballer to be nominated for a Ballon d'Or award. He is

widely regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in Africa.

He was ranked the ninth best goalkeeper in the world at the 2024 Ballon d'Or.{{Cite web |date=2024-10-29 |title=Ronwen Williams places ninth for Yashin Trophy at Ballon d’Or awards {{!}} soccer |url=https://www.sabcsport.com/soccer/news/ronwen-williams-places-ninth-for-yashin-trophy-at-ballon-d-or-awards |access-date=2024-11-06 |website=SABC |language=en}}

Club career

= Early career =

Williams spent part of his youth career with Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur.{{Cite web |last=Modise |first=Jimmy |date=2017-06-05 |title=7 Things You Didn't Know About Ronwen Williams |url=https://diski365.co.za/7-things-didnt-know-ronwen-williams/ |access-date=2022-07-25 |website=Diski 365 |language=en-US}}

= SuperSport United =

Williams joined SuperSport United as a youth player in 2004. He made his debut in the CAF Champions League in January 2012 against Matlama FC, and in the PSL was four months later against Free State Stars. He kept clean sheets in both games.{{Cite web |title=SuperSport |url=https://supersport.com/football/dstv-premiership/news/b03ab23c-5b41-49d3-a737-36bfb3edc12f/%7B%7B%20url()-%3Ecurrent()%20%7D%7D |access-date=2022-07-25 |website=supersport.com |language=}}

= Mamelodi Sundowns =

On 21 July 2022, Williams signed with Mamelodi Sundowns after a 12-year career at SuperSport United.{{Cite web |title=Mamelodi Sundowns {{!}} Ronwen Williams Joins Masandawana! |url=https://sundownsfc.co.za/media/mamelodi-sundowns-ronwen-williams-joins-masandawana/ |access-date=2022-07-25 |website=Mamelodi Sundowns {{!}} Official Website |language=en-US}} He made his debut in the 2022–23 opener against Cape Town City FC where he made a string of great saves and kept a clean sheet.{{Cite web |title=Mamelodi Sundowns 2-0 Cape Town City (5 Aug, 2022) Final Score - ESPN (UK) |url=https://www.espn.co.uk/football/match/_/gameId/649351 |access-date=2024-02-08 |website=ESPN |language=en}} He won the African Football League with Mamelodi Sundowns in 2023 where he made two important penalties saves one against Al Ahly and the other one against CA Petróleos Luanda.

International career

Williams made his first appearance for South Africa on 5 March 2014, in a friendly against Brazil, due to a sprained ankle suffered by the first-choice keeper, Itumeleng Khune.{{cite web|url=http://www.enca.com/sport-soccer/williams-set-dream-bafana-debut |title=Williams set for dream Bafana debut |publisher=eNCA |access-date=2014-03-05}}{{cite web |url=http://www.thenewage.co.za/120371-10-53-Williams_makes_international_debut |title=Williams makes international debut | The New Age Online |publisher=Thenewage.co.za |access-date=2014-03-05 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140305220233/http://www.thenewage.co.za/120371-10-53-Williams_makes_international_debut |archive-date=5 March 2014}}

In August 2021, the new South Africa coach Hugo Broos named Williams as the new Bafana Bafana captain, taking the armband from Thulani Hlatshwayo who failed to make the squad.{{cite web|url=https://www.sowetanlive.co.za/sport/soccer/2021-08-30-broos-names-williams-as-bafana-bafana-skipper-tau-deputy-captain |title=Broos names Williams as Bafana Bafana skipper, Tau deputy captain |publisher=Sowetanlive |access-date=2021-10-12}}

On 3 February 2024, in South Africa's 2023 AFCON quarter-final match against Cape Verde, the game was drawn at 0–0 after extra time. Williams saved 4 penalties in the penalty shootout, taking Bafana Bafana through to an AFCON semi-final for the first time since 2000.{{Cite news |title=SA goalkeeper saves four penalties in shootout win |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/68115046 |access-date=2024-02-08 |work=BBC Sport |language=en-GB}} Although South Africa lost to Nigeria in the semi-finals in another penalty shootout, Williams went ahead to win the Best Goalkeeper of the tournament.

Career statistics

=International=

National team	Year	Apps
class=wikitable style=text-align:center \|+ Appearances and goals by national team and year
rowspan="10" \|South Africa \|2014	2	0
2016	1	0
2017	2	0
2018	1	0
2019	7	0
2020	3	0
2021	9	0
2022	5	0
2023	6	0
2024	7	0
colspan="2" \|Total\|\|43\|\|0

Honours

Supersport United

Mamelodi Sundowns

South Africa

Africa Cup of Nations third place: 2023{{cite news|date=10 February 2024|title=South Africa secure TotalEnergies CAF AFCON bronze after shootout|url=https://www.cafonline.com/caf-africa-cup-of-nations/news/south-africa-secure-totalenergies-caf-afcon-bronze-after-shootout/|access-date=11 February 2024|website=CAF Online|publisher=Confederation of African Football}}

Individual

Africa Cup of Nations Best Goalkeeper: 2023{{cite news |date=11 February 2024 |title=TotalEnergies CAF AFCON Cote d’Ivoire 2023 Awards |url=https://www.cafonline.com/caf-africa-cup-of-nations/news/totalenergies-caf-afcon-cote-d-ivoire-2023-awards/ |access-date=12 February 2024 |website=CAF Online |publisher=Confederation of African Football}}
Africa Cup of Nations Team of the Tournament: 2023{{cite news |date=14 February 2024 |title=CAF TSG Group releases TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nation Cote d’Ivoire 2023 Best XI |url=https://www.cafonline.com/caf-africa-cup-of-nations/news/caf-tsg-group-releases-totalenergies-caf-africa-cup-of-nation-cote-d-ivoire-2023-best-xi/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240214121627/https://www.cafonline.com/caf-africa-cup-of-nations/news/caf-tsg-group-releases-totalenergies-caf-africa-cup-of-nation-cote-d-ivoire-2023-best-xi/ |archive-date=14 February 2024 |access-date=14 February 2024 |website=CAF Online |publisher=Confederation of African Football}}
African Football League Best Goalkeeper: 2023
African Goalkeeper of the Year: 2024 {{cite news |title=Lookman, Banda and Williams are big winners at 2024 CAF Awards in Marrakech, Morocco |website=CAF Online |publisher=Confederation of African Football |url=https://www.cafonline.com/news/lookman-banda-and-williams-are-big-winners-at-2024-caf-awards-in-marrakech-morocco/ |access-date=16 December 2024}}
African Inter-Club Player of the Year: 2024