Bafana Bafana captain Ronwen Williams arrives at OR Tambo Airport on 14 February 2024 in Johannesburg.
- Goalkeeper Ronwen Williams is the first South African to be nominated at the Ballon d’Or awards for the Yashin Trophy.
- His impressive performances for Mamelodi Sundowns and Bafana Bafana earned him accolades including PSL Goalkeeper of the Season.
- Williams will compete with top global goalkeepers like Gianluigi Donnarumma and Emiliano Martinez for the award, with the winner announced on 28 October in Paris.
- For more Bafana news, go to the News24 dedicated national football teams’ page.
Bafana Bafana captain and Mamelodi Sundowns star Ronwen Williams has made history as one of ten goalkeepers nominated for the prestigious Yashin Trophy at the Ballon d’Or awards.
Williams, who is currently sidelined due to injury and will miss Bafana’s 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Uganda and South Sudan, is the first South African to receive an esteemed nomination at the awards.
Williams has been exceptional for both Sundowns and Bafana in recent years.
His remarkable performances helped Sundowns secure the inaugural African Football League and the 2023/24 Premiership title.
His stellar performances in the 2023-24 season saw him make 46 appearances for Sundowns, where he clocked an impressive 4,200 minutes between the posts.
During this time, Williams conceded just 19 goals and kept 30 clean sheets, a testament to his remarkable consistency and skill.
His extraordinary form earned him the AFL Goalkeeper of the Tournament and the PSL Goalkeeper of the Season accolades, further cementing his reputation as one of the finest goalkeepers in African football.
Williams’s star shone brightest on the continental stage in February, when he showcased his extraordinary penalty-saving skills in Bafana’s 2023 Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final against Cape Verde.
His heroics, which included saving four penalties, were instrumental in propelling Bafana to a historic bronze medal – South Africa’s best Afcon finish since 2000. Meanhwile, he also walked away with Goalkeeper of the Tournament award.
His nomination for the Yashin Trophy sees him in illustrious company, contending with some of the world’s elite goalkeepers: Diogo Costa (FC Porto), Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain), Gregor Kobel (Borussia Dortmund), Andriy Lunin (Real Madrid), Mike Maignan (AC Milan), Giorgi Mamardashvili (Valencia), Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa), Unai Simon (Athletic Bilbao), and Yann Sommer (Inter Milan).
Named in honour of Lev Yashin, the legendary Russian goalkeeper who remains the only custodian to have won the Ballon d’Or in 1963, the Yashin Trophy celebrates the pinnacle of goalkeeping excellence.
Previous winners include Emiliano Martinez (2023), Thibaut Courtois (2022), Gianluigi Donnarumma (2021), and Alisson Becker (2019).
The winner of the Yashin Trophy will be announced during the Ballon d’Or awards ceremony, set to take place on October 28 in Paris.
