Bafana Bafana captain and goalkeeper Ronwen Williams has joined champions Mamelodi Sundowns for an undisclosed fee, SuperSport United confirmed on Thursday.
The 30-year-old ends a near two-decade stay with SuperSport that kick-started after joining the club’s famous academy at the tender age of 12.
Williams’ talent and patience paid off for SuperSport, as he eventually broke into the senior team, becoming the club’s first choice ‘keeper and being entrusted with the captain’s armband.
“First and foremost I would like to thank the chairman Mr Khulu Sibiya for allowing me to be part of such a wonderful club for so many years and for taking good care of me,” Williams said in a statement released by SuperSport.
“To the club’s CEO, Mr Stanley Matthews, I will forever be indebted to you and for each and every promise you made to me you have successfully fulfilled, I will forever be grateful to you as well as the board.
“To each coach and staff members at the academy, I will not be where I am today without you guys, thank you so much for playing a major role in my career.
“To my entire SuperSport United family, I can’t thank you guys enough. Ronwen Williams is forever United.”
After 18 years at @SuperSportFC, @ronwen30 is set to leave the club to pursue a new opportunity. He leaves with the club’s best wishes
Matthews added: “Ronwen is a beloved son and legend of the club who has entrenched his place in the history books as the longest serving and most capped player in the club’s history.
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“It’s rare to find loyalty in football anymore which makes our 18 years with Ronwen truly remarkable.
“We are very proud that we could produce a player from the tender age of 12 and enable him to reach his childhood dreams by playing for and captaining his club and country.
“Ronwen leaves us with trophies in the cabinet and very special memories and we wish him every success in life and for his future career at Mamelodi Sundowns.”
The Brazilians are not short in the goalkeeping department and Williams will have to fight for a place in the starting line-up with Kennedy Mweene, Reyaad Pieterse and Denis Onyango.