Mamelodi Sundowns and Bafana Bafana goalkeeper Ronwen Williams says he was lost for words and numb when he found out he was nominated for the Yachine Trophy at the Ballon d’Or awards.
Williams, 32, was one of 10 goalkeepers who were nominated for the Yachine Trophy, which is handed to the best goalkeeper of the year.
The Downs shot stopper finds himself among the who is who of international goalkeepers and became the first ever goalkeeper playing in Africa, who was nominated for the award.
“I am speechless, I’ve got no words to describe how I’m feeling at the moment,” he told Sundowns’ media team.
“I’m still in shock. It’s like it hasn’t sunk in yet. I’m just proud, excited, happy – not for myself, more for South Africa as a whole.
“I hope this will inspire the next generation, inspire the current players to just believe and chase their dream. To believe that us as South Africans we can achieve the unthinkable.
“I can’t express how I’m really feeling. It’s like my body has left me. I’ve never had a feeling like this before, but I’m just proud of myself.
“Obviously, so many people that I can thank, so many coaches, teammates, who helped me throughout the journey. This didn’t start now, it started years and years ago. Obviously, thank my parents also.”
Williams also revealed that he shared an emotional moment with his family after he found out about his special recognition.
“The reaction, I couldn’t believe it when our media officer gave me a call. I thought he was joking,”
“I thought he was just joking around with me, and then he said that he was serious. I went numb. Honestly, I went numb. I didn’t have any feeling. I didn’t know how to feel, I didn’t know what to feel.
“But when he congratulated me and wished me well, that’s when it sunk in, when I dropped the call, and I couldn’t believe it. I told my partner, and I told my son, yoh, we just had a moment where the tears were rolling.
“I just got very emotional, because it’s been a roller coaster of a career, a roller coaster, from where I’ve come from to where I am now. So I just had a lot of mixed emotions.”
