Renowned Mamelodi Sundowns goalkeeper and Bafana Bafana captain Ronwen Williams, has been nominated for the Ballon d’Or Yachine Trophy and the government has called on South Africans to show him support.
Sports Minister Gayton Mckenzi encourages fans to cast their votes in favour of Williams, ahead of the awards that will be held on 28 October in Paris, France.
“Mzansi let’s support our own #RonwenWilliams who has been nominated for the Yachine Trophy at the Ballon d’Or awards who currently leads the English voting with 69%. Please vote in English and French,” read the post by the South African Government X account.
The recognition of Williams in these awards alone has received widespread praise, as he became the first African player in history to be nominated.
This follows his remarkable performance for his club, country and after being named as the best goalkeeper at the 2024 AFCON in Ivory Coast.
Williams is up against some of the world’s best goalkeepers like AC Milan’s Mike Maignan and Real Madrid’s Andriy Lunin amongst others.
Since the inception of the Ballon d’Or, the only goalkeeper to win the award was legend Lev Yashin back in 1963 and in 2019 the award was named after him in his honour.
The award has mostly been won by strikers, defenders, and midfielders in the past years.
However, despite the tough competition Williams faces, fans on the socials have displayed eagerness to help him bring the trophy home.
“Just voted. Everyone needs to do the same,’’ wrote @MissMoosah.
@KhomotsoKh76977 commented “I voted. He is gonna win and please make it special by declaring a public holiday in his honour.”
Those who have not yet voted for Williams are advised to do so on the Lequipe website and follow the prompts thereafter.
