Bafana Bafana and Mamelodi Sundowns icon Ronwen Williams has reacted to his nomination for the CAF Footballer of the Year, calling it an unbelievable achievement for someone who didn’t have it all growing up in Port Elizabeth.

Williams is nominated alongside Simon Adingra (Côte d’Ivoire), Serhou Guirassy (Guinea), Achraf Hakimi (Morocco), and Ademola Lookman (Nigeria).

On Thursday, the list was supposed to be narrowed down to three, but CAF couldn’t due to the tight voting among the CAF panelists.

This adds to the suspense in one of the most closely contested awards in history, with five outstanding candidates vying for a place in the continent’s footballing history.

The 2024 CAF Awards ceremony will take place at the Palais des Congrès in Morocco on Monday, kicking off at 19:00 local time (18:00 GMT/20:00 Cairo time/21:00 East African time).

CAF highlighted Williams’ spectacular penalty saves at the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Côte d’Ivoire 2023, which helped South Africa reach the bronze medal.

Along the way, they defeated Morocco in the round of 16, and Williams’ heroics in penalty shootouts against Cape Verde and DR Congo were instrumental. He also played a crucial role in South Africa’s qualification for the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Côte d’Ivoire 2025 and was nominated for FIFA’s Best Goalkeeper in 2024.

The 32-year-old helped Sundowns set a joint-record low of 11 goals conceded in 30 games in the South African Premiership, as The Brazilians clinched their record-extending seventh consecutive domestic league title as well as African Football League.

“It’s an unbelievable personal achievement,” reacted Williams, who is also nominated for the CAF Inter-club Player of the Year and CAF Goalkeeper of the Year.

“I couldn’t have done it alone. The number of clean sheets we had last year is a testament to the collective effort.

“We put in a lot of work in the boardroom, analyzing opponents, studying their weaknesses, and that plays a significant role.

“I’m just happy to represent South Africa and hopefully inspire the next generation. Someone who didn’t have it easy is now nominated for the best goalkeeper in Africa.

“I hope it opens doors for others to dream big. If you have the right mindset and persevere, you can achieve great things. I had to persevere in my career, and now I’m reaping the fruits of hard labour.

“It’s unbelievable and amazing. The coach (Miguel Cardoso) can attest to how excited our WhatsApp group was (on Thursday). Everyone is happy and excited.

“I’m happy to be among the greatest. For me, being nominated with world stars, as a goalkeeper from Port Elizabeth, South Africa, speaks volumes.

“It motivates me to keep believing, keep going, and inspire South Africans to believe and stay on that stage.”

The winner will succeed Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen, who is not nominated this year.

If Williams wins, he will become the first South African to win the CAF Footballer of the Year.