IN a historic first for South Africa, Gqeberha’s very own Ronwen Williams was recently nominated for the prestigious Yashin Trophy, often referred to as football’s Oscars. This is the first time a South African has been considered for this esteemed honour.
Ahead of the awards, Williams was performing well in a public vote for the top goalkeeper. However, the final placings of the 10 nominees were determined by a panel of journalists from the world’s leading footballing nations. Williams made history in September by becoming the first goalkeeper to be nominated for the award while playing for an African club. He was also the sole African among the 10 nominees, eventually taking the ninth spot of the 10 nominees – among some of the biggest names in football in terms of goalkeeping. The former SuperSport United player is the fourth African goalkeeper to be nominated for the Yashin Trophy, named after the legendary Russian shot-stopper, Lev Yashin. He follows in the footsteps of Cameroonian Andre Onana, Senegalese Edouard Mendy, and Moroccan Yassine Bounou.
The Ballon d’Or is an annual football award presented by the French magazine France Football since 1956. It honours the player deemed to have performed the best over the previous season.
With this nomination, Williams has certainly made his home town immensely proud, especially the young football hopefuls of the Northern areas, where he comes from.
