Ronwen Williams has spoken of the immense pride and relief washing over Mamelodi Sundowns after their CAF Champions League triumph, describing the journey to their second continental crown as one that tested the character of every person associated with the club.
Sundowns were crowned Kings of Africa after overcoming ASFAR 2-1 on aggregate, with the second leg in Rabat ending 1-1, combining with their 1-0 first-leg win in Tshwane to clinch the title, their second CAF Champions League triumph and first since 2016.
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For Williams, the emotion of the moment ran far deeper than one night in Morocco. It was the culmination of years of near-misses, heartbreak, and relentless determination.
“It’s amazing, I’m so proud of the entire team, the Motsepe family, Masandawana, the players, the technical team,” he said.
“So many years we kept knocking, we kept going – we fell short so many times, semi-finals back-to-back, lost in the finals. It’s not easy.”
The victory comes after Sundowns suffered the pain of defeat in last season’s final against Egypt’s Pyramids, a loss that could have broken a lesser squad’s resolve.
“It’s not easy to motivate yourself and fight again,” he said. “We know how difficult it is to win the Champions League – it’s not for everyone – and for us to go back-to-back [finals] speaks to the character we have as a team. I’m so proud to be one of the players associated with this club.”
The goalkeeper, one of South Africa’s most decorated players, also reflected on the personal sacrifices made along the way, a schedule that has placed extraordinary demands on him across club and country.
“We know how badly we wanted the second star, so we always said we will keep knocking and the door will open,” he said.
“I’m so proud of everyone associated with Sundowns. Only we know how difficult it’s been over the last few years – for myself personally, playing so many major tournaments, AFCON, Club World Cup, league week in week out, now the World Cup. It’s so difficult, mentally draining, physically draining.”
Yet through the fatigue, Sundowns found a way. Williams pointed to that resilience — the ability to grind when the body and mind were running on empty, as the defining quality of true champions.
“You could see it in some of our performances this season,” he admitted. “But the mindset to keep going, grinding out results – that’s what champions are made of. When the physicality is not there, the mind is not there, but you can grind out results, and it’s what we did. Amazing.”
The triumph also secures Sundowns qualification for the CAF Super Cup, the FIFA Intercontinental Cup, and the 2029 FIFA Club World Cup, ensuring the rewards of their persistence will stretch well beyond this golden night in Rabat.
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