Bafana captain Ronwen Williams nominated for Caf Player of the Year

Bafana Bafana and Mamelodi Sundowns captain Ronwen Williams' star continues to rise. 

Williams is one of five nominees for this year's coveted Confederation of African Football (Caf) Player of the Year award. 

He faces stiff competition from Simon Adingra of Ivory Coast and Brighton & Hove Albion, Serhou Guirassy of Guinea and Borussia Dortmund, Achraf Hakimi of Morocco and Paris Saint-Germain and Ademola Lookman of Nigeria and Atalanta.

Williams — who was one of the standout performers in the 2023-24 Premiership and this year's Africa Cup of Nations, where he helped Bafana to a best finish in 24 years of third — is the only African-based player nominated for t Caf's headline prize.

Last month Williams shared the stage with some of the best footballers in the world during the Ballon d'Or Awards in Paris, finishing in ninth place for the Yashin Trophy, above Gregor Kobel of Switzerland and Borussia Dortmund in 10th.

He made history as the first African based at a club on that continent to be nominated for France Football magazine's goalkeeping award.

Williams is nominated in three categories for the Caf Awards.

For Goalkeeper of the Year he faces tough competition from Andre Onana of Cameroon and Manchester United, Yahia Fofana of Ivory Coast and Angers, Mostafa Shobeir of Egypt and Al Ahly and Stanley Nwabali of Nigeria and Chippa United. 

He is a hot favourite to win the Interclub Player of the Year award, where he is up against Issoufou Dayo of Burkina Faso and RS Berkane, Ahmed Sayed "Zizo" of Egypt and Zamalek, Hussein El Shahat of Egypt and Al Ahly and Mostafa Shobeir of Egypt and Al Ahly. 

In other categories involving South Africa, Bafana boss Hugo Broos is up against Pedro Goncalves of Angola, Emerse Fae of Ivory Coast, Sebastien Desabre of DR Congo and Marcel Koller of Al Ahly for Coach of the Year. 

In the club of the year category, Sundowns are up against Al Ahly of Egypt, Zamalek of Egypt, RS Berkane of Morocco and Esperance Sportive de Tunis of Tunisia, and Bafana are among the nominees for National Team of the Year.