Williams reveals why he chose Sundowns over Pirates

The lure of Caf Champions League football proved to be the deciding factor when Ronwen Williams decided to leave SuperSport United for Mamelodi Sundowns.

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The goalkeeper has in the past admitted that he also spoke to Orlando Pirates before he made the switch to Chloorkop two years ago.

Speaking on the club’s popular Pitchside Podcast, the 32-year-old explained how Sundowns won him over.

“Everytime 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.”

His move sparked a debate on whether he will dislodge Denis Onyango as the new number one at the Brazilians. Williams fitted in Sundowns like a glove and continues to flourish under Rulani Mokwena’s stewardship.

“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, 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.

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“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 everyday, 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 captain Bafana Bafana in their last-16 game of the Africa Cup of Nations against Morocco on Tuesday.