Sundowns fans basking in glory. Photo: Twitter @Masandawana
Bafana Bafana star reveals why he shunned Orlando Pirates for Sundowns
Bafana Bafana skipper Ronwen Williams has revealed why he chose Sundowns over Orlando Pirates.
Sundowns fans basking in glory. Photo: Twitter @Masandawana
Bafana Bafana captain Ronwen Williams opted to join Sundowns in 2022 despite an offer from Orlando Pirates.
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WILLIAMS REVEALS REASONS FOR PICKING SUNDOWNS OVER ORLANDO PIRATES
The lure of CAF Champions League football was decisive for Ronwen Williams when he left SuperSport United for Sundowns. The 32-year-old admits he also spoke to Orlando Pirates before sealing a switch to Chloorkop.
Speaking on the club’s Pitchside Podcast, Williams discussed how Sundowns persuaded him to pick them:
“Every time I played against Sundowns, it was so difficult. Training with their players in the national team, you could see the level was much higher,” he revealed.
“The talks they had as well, they didn’t talk about winning the league but they talked about winning the Champions League and it was crazy to see where their mental space was.
“They were looking to break barriers and I wanted to be there and I wanted to be a part of it. Just the way they do things is a crazy level. To see them year after year challenge to win the Champions League is tough.
“We have a technical team that believes that we can achieve things and win the Champions League and play at the Club World Cup and break records.”
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WILLIAMS ENJOYED THE PRESSURE OF DISLODGING ONYANGO
William’s switch got tongues wagging at the time as Denis Onyango was still the senior keeper at the club. The former SuperSport man, however, has flourished and thrived on the challenge.
“I’ve always been under pressure and I don’t let off the field things put more pressure on me,” he adds.
“I’m so relaxed and I control what I can and that is my performance, and intensity in training and matches. I can’t control what people are going to say. For me, it’s just to continue raising the bar because the coach always emphasises that you must leave the shirt in a better place than you found it.
“When I came here, there was Onyango and Kennedy Mweene and what they achieved together, I can only dream of reaching their level. That’s why when I see them in training every day, I think that I need to show up. To raise the bar and achieve more than they did and it is not going to be easy.”
Williams will lead Bafana Bafana into battle against Cape Verde on Saturday 3 February in the final eight.
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