Why South Africa's Ronwen Williams could be the difference against Canada

He was born on 21 January 1992 in Port Elizabeth, a city on South Africa’s east coast, where the Atlantic winds meet the concrete of the townships.

Thirty-four years later, Ronwen Williams is preparing to take on Canada in the Round of 32 at the World Cup, a first in the history of his national team, which had never before qualified for the knockout stages of the competition.

Captain of Bafana Bafana, goalkeeper for the Mamelodi Sundowns, and a record-holder with 62 caps in the South African squad at this World Cup, he holds the keys to his country’s historic journey.

And if the Canadians want to continue their run in a 'home' World Cup, they’ll need to score in regular time or extra time. Otherwise, they’ll have to face the 1.84m-tall keeper in his favourite scenario: penalty shootouts.

Trained at Shatterprufe Rovers in his hometown, he had a brief spell with Tottenham in England during his youth before joining SuperSport United in 2004, where he turned professional in 2010.

There, he won three Nedbank Cups and two MTN 8 titles before moving to Mamelodi Sundowns, the most decorated club on the continent, with whom he has collected more Premier Soccer League titles and won the African Football League in 2023, followed by the CAF Champions League this season.

But behind this seemingly straightforward career lies a formative pain. At 18, just as he signed his first professional contract, his older brother Marvin, his role model, was killed in a car accident.

Williams has often said that every dive, every clean sheet, every extra session between the posts since that day is a way of paying tribute to him.

It’s likely here that his mental resilience was forged, making him so hard to unsettle, especially during penalty shootouts.

Best goalkeeper on the continent

At AFCON 2023, Williams was named best goalkeeper of the tournament. In seven matches, he kept five clean sheets, conceded three goals, and made twenty saves for an overall save rate of 86.96 per cent. He also won the fair play award with his team, presented by Gianni Infantino himself, after the final in Abidjan.

But it was in the quarter-final against Cape Verde that he truly entered legend. He became the first goalkeeper in Africa Cup of Nations history to save four out of five penalties in a single shootout at an international tournament.

The spot-kicks from Bebe, Willy Semedo, Laros Duarte and Patrick Andrade were all stopped, sending South Africa into the semi-finals for the first time in twenty-four years.

Then, in the third-place play-off against DR Congo, he saved two more penalties, from Chancel Mbemba and Meschack Elia, to secure the bronze medal for Bafana Bafana - their first AFCON podium finish since 2000.

Six penalties saved in three shootouts in a single tournament. No wonder he earned a well-deserved nomination for the Ballon d'Or best goalkeeper award.

The sweeper-keeper

Williams is not your typical goalkeeper, not just because of his height, but above all for his style: he’s an organiser, an architect of play from his own penalty area.

Under Hugo Broos, the Bafana Bafana system is built around him as the first link in the chain, in a compact 4-3-2-1 where his ability to play out from the back is as valuable as his saves.

Over the three group stage matches, he was actually the player in his team with the most line-breaking passes - 112 - a statistic that says a lot about his role as the first distributor in the build-up.

The three group matches followed an upward trajectory, true to the story of this qualification. Against Mexico in the opening match, Williams made two saves, conceded two goals despite a 70 per cent pass completion rate and 55 touches, and received a 6.1 rating on Flashscore Ratings.

He notably kept out two shots from Raul Jimenez, including one at point-blank range from a cross in the box, keeping his team in the game despite heavy Mexican pressure.

The first Mexican goal, in fact, came less from a Williams error than from a turnover by defender Yaya Sithole on the edge of the box, eventually finished with a low shot between his legs by Julian Quinones.

Against Czechia, he stepped up: two more saves, one goal conceded, 75 per cent pass completion, 68 touches, and a 6.5 rating. He kept a clean sheet until the 83rd minute, allowing his team to equalise from the spot and snatch a valuable point in Atlanta. Then came the match against South Korea.

Williams was outstanding: two saves, a clean sheet, 1.42 expected goals prevented, 43 touches, and an 8.0 rating on Flashscore, earning man of the match.

His saves kept Bafana Bafana in the game until Thapelo Maseko broke the deadlock, sending South Africa through to the World Cup knockout stage for the first time in their history.

Canada, beware the magician

The message for Canada is clear: avoid penalties at all costs. Jonathan David, Alphonso Davies and their teammates have real firepower, speed on the break, and undeniable collective freshness.

But if the match at SoFi Stadium goes to extra time and ends up in a shootout - which is anything but a lottery when you look at the South African’s stats - the Canadians will be up against a player who thrives in that scenario.

After the opening defeat to Mexico, Williams was keen to remind everyone of the basics: "At this level of competition, every detail counts."

When the round of 16 arrives, that detail might just be called 'Ronwen Williams'.