Elrio van Herdeen delighted for homeboy Ronwen Williams in Ballon d’Or Awards

South African and African football fans have been in a social media frenzy this past weekend, voting Williams to the top spot in the online voting section for the award, where he is up against the likes of Liverpool’s Allison Becker and Argentina’s Emiliano Martinez, among others.

Van Heerden says winning this award will mean a lot to the Mamelodi Sundowns number-one goalkeeper.

"It's great stuff being celebrated all over the world, and being acknowledged for the work that he's put in," said van Heerden.

"Like you're saying, he's from PE, so we're all proud, we're all really behind him. For him to win that award will be something big, and let's hope for the best."

While France Football hosts the annual Ballon d’Or Awards, the L’Equipe online voting section does, in fact, not count towards deciding the winners of the awards. Instead, former winners of the award vote for the winner of the Yachine Trophy.

Van Heerden, who played in Denmark for FC Copenhagen, comes from the same Gelvandale township in Gqeberha as Williams. He says the 32-year-old deserves all the recognition coming his way.

"Ronwen has been around for long, in the national setup too – he waited for his chance, got his chance, and now he's the number one," he added.

"He's doing very well at club level and internationally, so it's a great privilege to say he's from PE, and for him winning that award will be something for football in South Africa as a whole."

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