Bafana Bafana captain Ronwen Williams is officially the toast of the town after walking away with the Goalkeeper of the Tournament award at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Hosts Ivory Coast beat Nigeria 2-1 in the final on Sunday night, with South Africa finishing third at the continental showpiece after beating the Democratic Republic of Congo on penalties in the third-place playoff on Saturday.
Williams was the star of the show in the penalty shootout after also keeping out Cape Verde in a shootout for a place in the semis.
While the 32-year-old South African won the Golden Glove award, Nigeria’s William Troost-Ekong won the Best Player award and Equatorial Guinea’s Emilio Nsue the Golden Boot.
Williams, though, is SA’s groot star, with social media erupting to praise the shot-stopper.
His club Mamelodi Sundowns FC wrote on X: “Congratulations to our very own Ronwen Williams for claiming the Goalkeeper of the Tournament award at #TotalEnergiesAFCON2023!”
𝘼![CDATA[]]>𝙛![CDATA[]]>𝙧![CDATA[]]>𝙞![CDATA[]]>𝙘![CDATA[]]>𝙖'𝙨 𝙉![CDATA[]]>𝙪![CDATA[]]>𝙢![CDATA[]]>𝙗![CDATA[]]>𝙚![CDATA[]]>𝙧 𝙊![CDATA[]]>𝙣![CDATA[]]>𝙚!🌟 🔥
— Mamelodi Sundowns FC (@Masandawana) February 12, 2024
Congratulations to our very own Ronwen Williams for claiming the Goalkeeper of the Tournament award at #TotalEnergiesAFCON2023! 🙌![CDATA[]]>🇿![CDATA[]]>🇦#Sundowns pic.twitter.com/kI1Sl4Cesp
Cellular @Cellular_jnr writes: “Waking up in the morning and finding out Ronwen Williams is the best goalkeeper in Africa sounds so delicious! What a tournament it has been for this man! He deserves it!”
Waking up in the morning and finding out Ronwen Williams is the best goalkeeper in Africa sounds so delicious! What a tournament it has been for this man! He deserves it! pic.twitter.com/Dt6F7OPZ0l
— Cellular® (@Cellular_jnr) February 12, 2024
A Dog That Bites adds: “Is there a goalkeeper in Bafana Bafana history who has done what Ronwen Williams has with the national team?”
Williams and Bafana’s heroes, who also won the Fair Play award, are expected back in Mzansi on Wednesday.
dudley.carstens@inl.co.za