Ronwen Williams #1

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Williams made his senior international debut against the five-time World Champions Brazil in March 2014. It was a baptism of goals as Williams, deputising for the injured South African goalkeeping great Itumeleng Khune, was on the receiving end of a 5-0 drubbing. But the Mamelodi Sundowns man was unperturbed: “Losing 5-0 is a lot, but we were playing against the best team in the world. I’m not shaken. It is one of those things in soccer.” It’s been over a decade since that tough introduction, and Williams has grown to become one of the most important players for South Africa, including being given the captaincy. At the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations he made history by becoming the first keeper to save four penalties in a single Afcon penalty shootout, versus Cape Verde. As he prepared to face each penalty he could be seen talking to himself and looking up at the sky as if he was getting advice from someone. It was his brother Marvin, who died in a car crash when Williams was 18. “Sometimes I ask him to take control and show me which way to go. He’s like my guardian angel.”

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