UNOZINTI weMamelodi Sundowns, uRonwen Williams, unethemba lokuthi ukuqokelwa kwakhe umklomelo weFifa Ballon d’or kuzogqugquzela nezizukulwane ezizayo zabadlali baseNingizimu Afrika.
UWilliams ongukaputeni weBafana Bafana, uqokelwe emunxeni weYashin Trophy obangwa ngonozinti abahlukene emhlabeni. Lo nozinti wagila izimanga evimba amaphenathi amane emdlalweni wama-quarterfinals ngesikhathi iBafana ikhipha iCape Verde emqhudelwaneni i-Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) e-Ivory Coast ekuqaleni konyaka.
Ubuqhawe bukaWilliams, owagcina eqokwa njengonozinti ovelele kwi-Afcon, bafaka iBafana kowandulela owamanqamu okokuqala eminyakeni engu-24. Ngaphezu kwalokho, usize iSundowns yafinyelela kowamandulela owamanqamu weCaf Champions League ngesizini edlule.
UWilliams uzobanga umklomelo weYashin Trophy nonozinti abaphezulu emhlabeni okunguDiogo Costa (Portugal, FC Porto), Gianluigi Donnarumma (Italy, Paris St-Germain), Gregor Kobel (Switzerland, Borussia Dortmund), Andriy Lunin (Ukraine, Real Madrid), Mike Maignan (France, AC Milan), Giorgi Mamardashvili (George, Valencia), Emiliano Martinez (Argentina, Aston Villa), Unai Simon (Spain, Athletic Bilbao) noYann Sommer (Switzerland, Inter Milan).
“Ngiphelelwa ngamazwi okuyichaza indlela engizizwa ngayo. Ngisethukile. Akukazinzi kimina. Ngiyazigqaja futhi ngiyajabula. Kodwa ngijabulela kakhulu iNingizimu Afrika yonkana. Ngiyathemba ukuthi lokhu kuzogqugquzela isizukulwane esizayo nabadlali abadlalayo kumanje ukuthi bakholwe ukuthi singabantu baseNingizimu Afrika singahlabana ngezinto ebesingazicabangi. Angikaze ngizizwe kanje,” kusho uWilliams ekhuluma nethimba labezindaba leSundowns.
UWilliams ungunozinti wokuqala waseMzansi oqokelwe umklomelo weYashin Trophy. Kodwa ungowesithathu eminyakeni embalwa edlule ukuqokelwa iBallon d’or. Ngo-2017, unozinti u-Oscarine Masuluke, waqokwa emunxeni wePuskas Award okungowegoli elihle ukuwadlula wonke emhlabeni ngalivalela enethini bebhekene ne-Orlando Pirates. Omunye umdlali waseMzansi owaqokelwa kowePuskas nguHlompho Kekana weSundowns ngegoli alishaya bebhekene neCape Town City ngo-2019.
“Baningi abantu engingababonga, abaqeqeshi, ozakwethu abangisizile kulolu hambo. Lokhu akuqalanga manje kodwa kade kwaqala. Ngibonga nabazali bami. Angikholwanga ngesikhathi ngitshelwa. Ngitshele uphathina wami, ngatshela nendodana yami. Izinyembezi zivele zazehlela. Ngifikelwe wumunyu ngoba kube wuhambo olunzima uma ngibheka lapho engaqala khona kuze kufike lapho engikhona manje,” kusho uWilliams. Abawinile bazomenyezelwa ngo-Okthoba 28 eParis, eFrance.