{{short description|South African soccer player (born 1992)}} {{Use South African English|date = May 2025}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}} {{Infobox football biography | name = Ronwen Williams | image = Ronwen Williams AFCON2025Q 35.jpg | caption = Williams in action with South Africa against Uganda at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification | fullname = Ronwen Hayden Williams<ref name="FCWC25">{{Cite web |title=Squad List: FIFA Club World Cup 2025: Mamelodi Sundowns FC (RSA)|url=https://fdp.fifa.org/assetspublic/ce233/pdf/SquadLists-English.pdf |date=12 June 2025|access-date=14 June 2025 |website=FIFA}}</ref> | height = 1.84 m<ref name="FCWC25"/> | birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1992|01|21}}<ref name="FCWC25"/> | birth_place = Gqeberha, South Africa | currentclub = Mamelodi Sundowns | clubnumber = 30 | position = Goalkeeper | youthyears1 = | youthclubs1 = Shatterprufe Rovers | youthyears2 = | youthclubs2 = Tottenham Hotspur | youthyears3 = | youthclubs3 = SuperSport United | years1 = 2010–2022 | clubs1 = SuperSport United | caps1 = 278 | goals1 = 0 | years2 = 2022– | clubs2 = Mamelodi Sundowns | caps2 = 78 | goals2 = 0 | nationalyears1 = 2011 | nationalteam1 = South Africa U20 | nationalcaps1 = 2 | nationalgoals1 = 0 | nationalyears2 = 2021 | nationalteam2 = South Africa U23 | nationalcaps2 = 3 | nationalgoals2 = 0 | nationalyears3 = 2014– | nationalteam3 = South Africa | nationalcaps3 = 63 | nationalgoals3 = 0 | medaltemplates = {{MedalCountry | {{RSA}} }} {{MedalSport | Men's football}} {{MedalCompetition|Africa Cup of Nations}} {{Medal|3rd|2023 Ivory Coast|}} | pcupdate = 3 January 2026 | ntupdate = 23:03, 31 March 2026 (UTC) | alt = Uganda Cranes host South Africa in AFCON2025 qualifiers | upright = }}
'''Ronwen Hayden Williams''' (born 21 January 1992) is a South African professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Premier Soccer League club Mamelodi Sundowns and captains the South Africa national team.
He was ranked the ninth best goalkeeper in the world at the 2024 Ballon d'Or awards.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-10-29 |title=Ronwen Williams places ninth for Yashin Trophy at Ballon d'Or awards {{!}} soccer |url=https://www.sabcsport.com/soccer/news/ronwen-williams-places-ninth-for-yashin-trophy-at-ballon-d-or-awards |access-date=2024-11-06 |website=SABC |language=en}}</ref>
== Club career == === Early career === Williams spent part of his youth career with Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Modise |first=Jimmy |date=2017-06-05 |title=7 Things You Didn't Know About Ronwen Williams |url=https://diski365.co.za/7-things-didnt-know-ronwen-williams/ |access-date=2022-07-25 |website=Diski 365 |language=en-US}}</ref>
=== SuperSport United === Williams joined SuperSport United as a youth player in 2004. He made his debut in the CAF Champions League in January 2012 against Matlama FC, and in the PSL four months later against Free State Stars. He kept clean sheets in both games.<ref>{{Cite web |title=SuperSport |url=https://supersport.com/football/dstv-premiership/news/b03ab23c-5b41-49d3-a737-36bfb3edc12f/%7B%7B%20url()-%3Ecurrent()%20%7D%7D |access-date=2022-07-25 |website=supersport.com |language=}}</ref>
=== Mamelodi Sundowns === On 21 July 2022, Williams signed with Mamelodi Sundowns after a 12-year career at SuperSport United.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mamelodi Sundowns {{!}} Ronwen Williams Joins Masandawana! |url=https://sundownsfc.co.za/media/mamelodi-sundowns-ronwen-williams-joins-masandawana/ |access-date=2022-07-25 |website=Mamelodi Sundowns {{!}} Official Website |language=en-US}}</ref> He made his debut in the 2022–23 opener against Cape Town City FC where he made a string of great saves and kept a clean sheet.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mamelodi Sundowns 2-0 Cape Town City (5 Aug, 2022) Final Score – ESPN (UK) |url=https://www.espn.co.uk/football/match/_/gameId/649351 |access-date=2024-02-08 |website=ESPN |language=en}}</ref> He won the African Football League with Mamelodi Sundowns in 2023 where he made two important penalties saves one against Al Ahly and the other one against CA Petróleos Luanda.
On 17 June 2025, Williams became the first player penalized under FIFA's new eight-second ball possession rule when he held onto the ball for 14 seconds. The rule was enforced for the first time during the FIFA Club World Cup match against South Korea's Ulsan Hyundai.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-06-20 |title=Club World Cup 2025: Tournament's new innovations to football |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/cdx5r85yng9o |access-date=2025-06-23 |website=BBC Sport |language=en-GB}}</ref>
==International career== Williams made his first appearance for South Africa on 5 March 2014, in a friendly against Brazil, due to a sprained ankle suffered by the first-choice keeper, Itumeleng Khune.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.enca.com/sport-soccer/williams-set-dream-bafana-debut |title=Williams set for dream Bafana debut |publisher=eNCA |access-date=2014-03-05}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thenewage.co.za/120371-10-53-Williams_makes_international_debut |title=Williams makes international debut | The New Age Online |publisher=Thenewage.co.za |access-date=2014-03-05 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140305220233/http://www.thenewage.co.za/120371-10-53-Williams_makes_international_debut |archive-date=5 March 2014}}</ref>
In August 2021, the new South Africa coach Hugo Broos named Williams as the new ''Bafana Bafana'' captain, taking the armband from Thulani Hlatshwayo who failed to make the squad.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sowetanlive.co.za/sport/soccer/2021-08-30-broos-names-williams-as-bafana-bafana-skipper-tau-deputy-captain |title=Broos names Williams as Bafana Bafana skipper, Tau deputy captain |publisher=Sowetanlive |access-date=2021-10-12}}</ref>
On 3 February 2024, in South Africa's 2023 AFCON quarter-final match against Cape Verde, the game was drawn at 0–0 after extra time. Williams saved 4 penalties in the penalty shootout, taking ''Bafana Bafana'' through to an AFCON semi-final for the first time since 2000.<ref>{{Cite news |title=SA goalkeeper saves four penalties in shootout win |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/68115046 |access-date=2024-02-08 |work=BBC Sport |language=en-GB}}</ref> Although South Africa lost to Nigeria in the semi-finals in another penalty shootout, Williams went ahead to win the Best Goalkeeper of the tournament.<ref name="auto1"/>
On 1 December 2025, Williams was called up to the South Africa squad for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cafonline.com/afcon2025/news/totalenergies-afcon-morocco-2025-fever-rises-as-broos-become-first-coach-to-unveil-final-squad/|title=TotalEnergies AFCON Morocco 2025 fever rises as Broos become first coach to unveil final squad|publisher=Confederation of African Football|date=1 December 2025|access-date=12 December 2025}}</ref>
==Career statistics== ===International=== {{updated|match played 31 March 2026}}<ref name="nft">{{NFT|54726}}</ref>
{| class=wikitable style=text-align:center |+ Appearances and goals by national team and year !National team!!Year!!Apps!!Goals |- |rowspan="12"|South Africa |2014||2||0 |- |2016||1||0 |- |2017||2||0 |- |2018||1||0 |- |2019||7||0 |- |2020||3||0 |- |2021||9||0 |- |2022||5||0 |- |2023||6||0 |- |2024||14||0 |- |2025||10||0 |- |2026||3||0 |- !colspan="2"|Total||63||0 |}
==Honours== '''Supersport United''' * Nedbank Cup: 2011–12, 2015–16, 2016–17 * MTN 8: 2017, 2019 * Telkom Knockout: 2014
'''Mamelodi Sundowns''' * South African Premier Division: 2022–23, 2023–24 * Africa Football League: 2023 * CAF Champions League: 2025–26
'''South Africa''' * Africa Cup of Nations third place: 2023<ref>{{cite news|date=10 February 2024|title=South Africa secure TotalEnergies CAF AFCON bronze after shootout|url=https://www.cafonline.com/caf-africa-cup-of-nations/news/south-africa-secure-totalenergies-caf-afcon-bronze-after-shootout/|access-date=11 February 2024|website=CAF Online|publisher=Confederation of African Football}}</ref>
'''Individual''' *PSL Footballer of the Season: 2023–24 *Africa Cup of Nations Best Goalkeeper: 2023<ref name="auto1">{{cite news |date=11 February 2024 |title=TotalEnergies CAF AFCON Cote d'Ivoire 2023 Awards |url=https://www.cafonline.com/caf-africa-cup-of-nations/news/totalenergies-caf-afcon-cote-d-ivoire-2023-awards/ |access-date=12 February 2024 |website=CAF Online |publisher=Confederation of African Football}}</ref> * Africa Cup of Nations Team of the Tournament: 2023<ref>{{cite news |date=14 February 2024 |title=CAF TSG Group releases TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nation Cote d’Ivoire 2023 Best XI |url=https://www.cafonline.com/caf-africa-cup-of-nations/news/caf-tsg-group-releases-totalenergies-caf-africa-cup-of-nation-cote-d-ivoire-2023-best-xi/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240214121627/https://www.cafonline.com/caf-africa-cup-of-nations/news/caf-tsg-group-releases-totalenergies-caf-africa-cup-of-nation-cote-d-ivoire-2023-best-xi/ |archive-date=14 February 2024 |access-date=14 February 2024 |website=CAF Online |publisher=Confederation of African Football}}</ref> * African Football League Best Goalkeeper: 2023 *African Goalkeeper of the Year: 2024<ref name="CAF2024">{{cite news |title=Lookman, Banda and Williams are big winners at 2024 CAF Awards in Marrakech, Morocco |website=CAF Online |publisher=Confederation of African Football |url=https://www.cafonline.com/news/lookman-banda-and-williams-are-big-winners-at-2024-caf-awards-in-marrakech-morocco/ |access-date=16 December 2024}}</ref> *African Inter-Club Player of the Year: 2024<ref name="CAF2024" />
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{sports links}}
{{Mamelodi Sundowns F.C. squad}} {{Navboxes | title = South Africa squads | bg = #FFB81C | fg = #007749 | bordercolor = #007749 | list1 = {{South Africa squad 2019 Africa Cup of Nations}} {{South Africa men's football squad 2020 Summer Olympics}} {{South Africa squad 2023 Africa Cup of Nations}} {{South Africa squad 2025 Africa Cup of Nations}} {{South Africa squad 2026 FIFA World Cup}} }} {{Navboxes | title = Awards | bg = gold | fg = navy | list = {{2023 Africa Cup of Nations Team of the Tournament}} {{PSL Goalkeeper of the Season}} }}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Ronwen}} Category:Living people Category:Men's association football goalkeepers Category:Sportspeople from Gqeberha Category:South African men's soccer players Category:Cape Coloureds Category:SuperSport United F.C. players Category:Mamelodi Sundowns F.C. players Category:South African expatriate men's soccer players Category:Expatriate men's footballers in England Category:South African expatriate sportspeople in England Category:South Africa men's international soccer players Category:2019 Africa Cup of Nations players Category:2023 Africa Cup of Nations players Category:2025 Africa Cup of Nations players Category:Footballers at the 2020 Summer Olympics Category:Olympic soccer players for South Africa Category:Soccer players from the Eastern Cape Category:1992 births Category:21st-century South African sportsmen Category:CAF Champions League–winning players Category:2026 FIFA World Cup players