Bafana Bafana captain Ronwen Williams will learn if he is Africa’s finest during the CAF Awards gala set to take place in Marrakech, Morocco on Thursday December 12.
Williams is nominated for three awards but it is in the Player of the Year category where fans in South Africa hope he can win.
The Mamelodi Sundowns goalkeeper is nominated in the Player of the Year category alongside Nigeria’s Ademola Lookman of Italian club Atalanta, who led the side to Europe League glory, Ivorian winger Simon Adingra of Brighton and Hove Albion, who won the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, Guinea and Borussia Dortmund striker Serhou Guirassy as well as Paris Saint-German’s Moroccan full-back Achraf Hakimi.
Williams on the cusp of history
If he manages to dislodge his rivals and win it, Williams will become the first South African to be crowned African Footballer of the Year.
The 32-year-old is also nominated in the Goalkeeper of the Year and Inter-Club Player of the Year categories.
Williams has had a good year that saw him nominated for the Yashin Trophy, awarded to the best goalkeeper in the world at the prestigious Ballon d’Or awards, where he finished ninth.
He was also recently nominated for FIFA The Best Awards although he did not make the final shortlist.
What else is there to win?
Williams has been the best goalkeeper on the continent following his impressive performances at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations where South Africa won a bronze medal while he also led Sundowns to PSL and the inaugural African Football League (AFL) glory.
Meanwhile, the awards also have Bafana Bafana boss Hugo Broos nominated in the Coach of the Year category while his team is in for the National Team of the Year award, having finished third at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
Meanwhile, Mamelodi Sundowns are nominated for the Inter-Club of the Year Award after winning the PSL and the AFL.
