Profile of Ronwen Williams; First Goalkeeper to Save 4 Penalties

Ronwen Williams born on January 21, 1992, in Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape, South Africa is a goalkeeper who plays for Mamelodi Sundowns Football Club as well as the national team.

Ronwen is a South African Premier League (PSL) football star well-known on the regional and global stages for his outstanding goalkeeping abilities.

His current market value stands at 1.10 million euros.

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.

The SuperSport United player kept clean sheets in both games.

Ronwen Williams Joining Mamelodi Sundowns

On 21 July 2022, Williams signed with Mamelodi Sundowns after a 12-year career at SuperSport United. 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.

On March 5, 2014, Ronwen made his international debut for South Africa in a friendly against Brazil, due to a sprained ankle suffered by the first-choice keeper, Itumeleng Khune.

In August 2021, new Bafana coach Hugo Broos named Williams as the new Bafana Bafana captain, taking the armband from Thulani Hlatshwayo who failed to make the squad.

Awards and Honors

MTN 8 Cup: Williams has won the MTN 8 Cup with SuperSport United, a prestigious South African football competition in 2017 and 2019. 

Nedbank Cup: He also clinched the Nedbank Cup title, showcasing his prowess in domestic tournaments in 2011-12, 2015-16, 2016-17.

CAF Confederation Cup: His team, SuperSport United, reached the final of the CAF Confederation Cup, an impressive feat on the continental stage in 2016.

Bafana Bafana Caps: Williams has represented the South African national team, earning several caps as their goalkeeper.

Also Read: Details of Little-Known Player Who Has Taken AFCON by Storm

Ronwen Clean Sheets

In DSTV premiership 2023/2024 competitions, Ronwen has made 11 appearances, conceded two goals and acquired nine cleans sheets.

He won the 2022/23 PSL Awards as the Goalkeeper of the season with 18 clean sheets.

Ronwen Williams has gone from a shaky goalkeeper to a dependable figure for Bafana Bafana.

His extensive career has earned him respect both inside and outside of South Africa.

In addition, it is remarkable how the goalkeeper has kept up a positive reputation in spite of victories and setbacks.

Most significantly, he has transcended regional sports boundaries to become a worldwide legend in the sport he loves most.

Also Read: Full List of Teams Knocked Out of AFCON Campaign

AFCON Quarter Final Competitions

On 3 February, 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.

This was even better coming from the 32-year-old when he stopped Cape Verde’s first three penalties by diving to his right and thwarted Andrade by leaping in the opposite direction, having appeared to consult notes on a water bottle between each kick.

Williams will be a contender for the Best Goalkeeper award once the tournament is over and South Africa will be facing Nigeria at the semi-finals AFCON competition.

Williams made history as the first goalkeeper to save four penalties in a single AFCON match, propelling South Africa to victory.