After the heroics of South African goalkeeper Ronwen Williams at AFCON 2023, where the Mamelodi Sundowns goalminder saved four penalties in the semi-final shootout against Cape Verde, he has been the talk of the tournament.
In a feat never seen by many, the 32-year-old gloves man dragged Bafana Bafana into the semi-final against Nigeria. So, who is Ronwen Williams?
Ronwen Williams Club Career
Perhaps not many know that Ronwen Williams had a little stint with Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur. He spent his youth career with Shatterprufe Rovers, Tottenham and SuperSport United.
Ronwen Williams joined SuperSport United in 2004 as a youth player and signed a professional contract with the club in 2010.
He spent 12 years with the Pretoria-based club and made his CAF Champions League debut for them in January 2012 against Matlama FC, with his PSL debut coming four months later against Free State Stars.
On July 21, 2022, he joined Mamelodi Sundowns after making over 250 appearances for SuperSport United. He debuted in the 2022/23 opener against Cape Town City FC, producing several great saves and keeping a clean sheet.
The goalkeeper credits his success to family but claims he was fortunate to find some senior players at SuperSport who took him under their wings and taught him many things about life and football.
Ronwen Williams has become the first goalkeeper to ever save 4 penalties in a single TotalEnergies AFCON shootout. 🤯🇿🇦#TotalEnergiesAFCON2023 pic.twitter.com/35g7qPeB2D
— CAF (@CAF_Online) February 4, 2024
Ronwen Williams International Career
The heroics of Ronwen Williams earned him an invitation to the national team in 2014, and featured in his first match for Bafana Bafana in an international friendly with Brazil.
He continued to be a backup to Itumeleng Khune, but in 2021, Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos made him the team captain, taking the armband from Thulani Hlatshwayo.
He has made 37 international appearances for Bafana Bafana, including five at AFCON 2023.
Ronwen Williams also lost out in the CAF Awards for the best goalkeeper to Moroccan goalminder, Yassine Bounou.
Ronwen Williams Wife
Ronwen Williams confessed that having a steady partner is the only way of keeping a celebrity grounded.
The Sundowns goalkeeper is married to his childhood lover, Roshni Williams, who he claims fell for him when he had nothing. According to Ronwen, Roshni is his backbone, and he credits her for all the successes he has attained.
The goalkeeper is also a father to a lovely son, Mikael. He became a father at 20. He claims fatherhood changed him into a man. He said it took him from being a loose cannon to a dedicated family man.
🇿🇦 @22Ours nailed the brief when they created this tribute to Ronwen Williams! What a story!😭🙌🏾💚💛
— Katlego Maboe (@KatlegoMaboe) February 4, 2024
Market Value
Ronwen Williams has, over the years, seen his market value rise. The former SuperSport United goalkeeper saw his value reach its peak at €1.5 million in February 2023 but plummeted to around €1.1 million.
At 32, he may not be at the peak of his career, but his heroics at AFCON 2023, where he has kept four clean sheets and made four penalty saves against Cape Verde in the quarter-final, his value should rise after the tournament.
Net Worth and Salary
Ronwen Williams is one of the highest-paid footballers in the South Africa PSL. He earns Five Hundred thousand rand (ZAR 500,000), and his net worth is between €1-€2 million.
He is the second-highest earner at Mamelodi Sundowns behind Bongani Zungu, who earns ZAR 700,000.
Ronwen Williams has an Instagram account where he interacts with his 101,000 followers.
This article was most recently revised and updated 11 months ago
