The progression of technology has allowed people across the globe to share information at an incredibly fast rate. South Africans have established themselves as arguably the most chaotic bunch when it comes to social media, as they often rally behind each other for different causes. This time, Sundowns goalkeeper, Ronwen Williams was the beneficiary of this as South African netizens have propelled him to the top of the Ballon d’Or voting poll.
Scheduled to take place later this month, the Ballon D’or ceremony is an annual football ceremony that honours some of the best performers throughout the previous season. The Yachin trophy, created in 2019, is awarded specifically to the best-performing goalkeeper, and Ronwen Williams is among the five players nominated for the award, becoming only the fourth African goalkeeper to be honoured with a nomination.
This international nod for the youngster comes as no surprise to anyone who has been following his journey this season, from his consistent performances with his club, Mamelodi Sundowns, leading them to a thrilling African Football League (AFL) victory, to a spectacular and historic performance at the AFCON tournament.
Appreciating the young goalkeeper’s efforts, South African internet users have done what they do best, which is rallying behind their own, until the very end. Taking Ronwen’s fate into their own hands, users have rushed to vote for the Mamelodi Sundown’s keeper, propelling him from a 5.4% vote count, all the way to the top, currently sitting at 68.1%
Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie took to his X(formerly Twitter) to further encourage others to rally behind Ronwen.
“We already know that he is the best goalkeeper in the world, let’s make the world know what we know,” the minister said.
Let us all pls vote for Ronwen Williams, we already know that he is the best goalkeeper in the world, let’s make the world know what we know @Masandawana 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦 https://t.co/RGUS9iHbdj
— Gayton McKenzie (@GaytonMcK) October 6, 2024
Although these are exciting times for Ronwen Williams and South Africa at large, the starting goalkeeper also has the upcoming 2025 AFCON qualifiers, which many will have their eyes on because of Bafana Bafana’s outstanding performance at this year’s edition, while some will be specifically watching Ronwen, to see whether or not he will fold under the pressure.
Also see: Siya Kolisi sounds the call to back the Springbok women’s team
