When it comes to sports awards ceremonies, there are a few that hold as much appeal and interest as the Ballon d’Or ceremony, which pays tribute to the leading football players in the world.
The coveted Ballon d’Or trophy – so often contested between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in the past – is now expected to be handed to one of Vinicius Jr., Real Madrid teammate Jude Bellingham or Manchester City’s Rodri.
From a South African perspective, the real attention will be on the winner of the Yashin trophy, which is awarded annually to the best goalkeeper in the world.
Bafana and Sundowns goalkeeper Ronwen Williams is expected to be a real contender to walk away with this award, having largely led the English section of the online fan vote for the award.
However, like the Ballon d’Or, the Yashin Trophy will be determined by a panel of journalists from the world top 100 football nations.
Williams was just recently nominated for three prestigious CAF Awards, namely: African Player of the Year, Goalkeeper of the Year, and Interclub Player of the year.
Williams will be up against Martinez, Diogo Costa (Portugal and FC Porto), Gianluigi Donnarumma (Italy and Paris Saint-Germain), Gregor Kobel (Swizerland and Borussia Dortmund), Andriy Lunin (Ukraine and Real Madrid), Mike Maignan (France and AC Milan), Giorgi Mamardashvili (Georgia and Valencia), Unai Simón (Spain and Athletic Bilbao), and Yann Sommer (Switzerland and Inter Milan).
So where and when can South Africans watch the Ballon d’Or Awards?
The Ballon d’Or Awards will be broadcast on SuperSport 3, with the build-up beginning at 9pm, and the actually ceremony getting underway at 9.45pm on Monday night.
Williams will probably learn if he has won the Yashin trophy around 11pm, while the main Ballon d’Or will be handed out close to midnight (SA time).
“It’s a proud moment for me but also for the continent of Africa,” Williams told The Athletic in an interview published this past weekend. “It’s going to open doors for domestic players and inspire kids to dream bigger, to be part of a wider conversation.”
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