Legend between the sticks and former SuperSport United goalkeeper coach William Shongwe has pleaded with Africans to work together and vote for Ronwen Williams after he was nominated for the Ballon d'Or Yachine Trophy.
The Bafana Bafana captain has made history as he becomes the first African keeper to be nominated for the accolade. .
Shongwe admits it will not be easy for Williams, whom he trained as a young boy at SuperSport, as he faces stiff competition from global superstars like Emiliano Martinez, Yann Sommer, Mike Maignan and Gianluigi Donnarumma, amongst others.
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"Everybody coached Ronwen going forward, but I was the springboard. It's a foundation that counts when you build up a house to be, you always owe it to the foundation that built it," the ex-Kaizer Chiefs net minder proudly tells KickOff.
"I might not have been the best goalkeeper coach, but there are things that I built, things I still feel even now I can contribute. I'm proud of Ronwen, and I just want to say congratulations. I just hope those Europeans out there do justice this time around when voting.
"Oscarine Masuluke once scored a very unique goal as a goalkeeper, but it was taken away from him. But maybe we don't vote enough, that is where we let ourselves down as Africans. Maybe these overseas people understand technology better than us, so they use it to their advantage by voting for their people. They are in the space of technology.
"But here is our very own Ronwen Williams who has proven beyond reasonable doubt that he is a star. Yes, the chances are very slim considering the competition he is faced with, but we must try our best because it's not gonna just happen," he says.
Shongwe believes with the African continent being bigger as compared to Europe, if Africans vote in numbers then it gives the Gqeberha-born star a greater chance of coming home victorious.
"Edouard Mendy was the best African goalkeeper when he was at Chelsea, but he has since faded away from this thing.
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"Andre Onana is also fumbling every week at Manchester United. he first let his country down by arriving late for the AFCON in Ivory Coast, so there are discipline problems there.
"So, Ronwen has raised his hand by far, he is better than any goalkeeper in Africa at the moment, including those two."