By Milcah Tanimu

On February 7, 2024, Bafana Bafana’s goalkeeper, Ronwen Williams, disclosed that he had a conversation with Nigeria’s goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali before the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) began in Cote d’Ivoire. Williams and Nwabali, both highly-rated goalkeepers in the South African Premier League, play for Mamelodi Sundowns and Chippa United, respectively.

Both goalkeepers have performed well in the tournament, each securing four clean sheets. However, Nwabali has only conceded one goal, while Williams has conceded twice.

Williams shared insights about their pre-tournament chat during a press conference in Bouake. He expressed his happiness for Nwabali and mentioned that the Nigerian goalkeeper has a high admiration for him.

In Williams’ words, “I’m happy for him. I had a chat with him when we played each other in Port Elizabeth, and it’s so weird that he told me that I inspire him. The way he’s playing now, I’m so happy that I can inspire someone, a fellow professional, so tomorrow we’ll share the stage together and go out to continue doing what we’ve been doing, trying to be the best goalkeepers we can be.”

Williams acknowledged Nwabali’s outstanding performance in the current season but humorously added, “Tomorrow, hopefully, he can concede so that we can go into the final.”

Nigeria is set to face South Africa at the Stade de la Paix, Bouake, with the match scheduled for 6 p.m. (Nigerian time). The AFCON encounter between the two teams promises to be a thrilling clash between two accomplished goalkeepers.