Williams: Never Forget Your Dreams Are Valid

Mamelodi Sundowns goalkeeper Ronwen Williams has urged South Africans not to give up on their dreams after he scooped two accolades at the CAF Awards ceremony in Marrakesh on Monday. The Bafana Bafana captain was named Goalkeeper of the Year and Interclub Player of the Year in the mens category, having also been nominated for Footballer of the Year, which went to Nigerias Ademola Lookman. Williams starred for both club and country this year and his efforts were also recognised globally after placing ninth in the final voting for the Yashin Trophy at the Ballon dOr ceremony in October.

The 32-year-old won Best Goalkeeper at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations following an outstanding performance against Cape Verde in the quarter-finals, where he saved four penalties and went on to keep four clean sheets in the tournament. Williams was also named PSL Player of the Season and Premiership Goalkeeper of the Season as Bafana ba Style won a seventh consecutive league title in 2023-24 and went 29 games unbeaten before losing to Cape Town City on the final day. I know this win will inspire millions of South Africans to believe in themselves, push boundaries and never forget your dreams are valid. This is a wonderful moment for me, thanks to CAF for the recognition and I will forever be grateful to you, he said. I thank my support staff, family for being there for me throughout my career. I could not have done this alone. Thanks to all the players, coaches and technical staff that have been with me throughout my career. I dedicate this award to all the goalkeeper coaches I have worked with throughout my career since I was a little boy.