Ronwen Williams spoke exclusively to SoccerClub Editor Mark Gleeson about life at Mamelodi Sundowns and Bafana Bafana.

Can you describe what it’s like at Sundowns?

It’s tough, man. It’s really tough because we have the board supported by the president and chairman do so much for us. They go out of their way to make sure things are smooth, are good, we are well prepared and therefore they are very … what is the word? … they are very demanding. The nice thing about pressure – you can feel it. You just need to show up to your job, win games, win as many trophies as possible. And enjoy it. I would rather be in this situation than any other situation, because there’s lots to play for, there’s lots of success, there’re a lot of trophies, there’re a lot of [financial] incentives as well. The coach, Rulani Mokwena, protects us from it – he shields us away from the pressure. So, we enjoy it and we want to be successful and we want to rewrite history.

Was it tough to leave SuperSport United after 12 seasons, or did you feel you’d done your service and were entitled to move on?

I think my time at SuperSport had run its course. I was playing at a certain level, and I had a good chat with [club CEO] Mr Stan Matthews. I told him: “I can see the objectives of the club are not the same as what they were, for many reasons, and I need to be challenging for big honours. I need to take my game to the next level.” He understood that. And he agreed. It wasn’t as much that we wanted to part ways, but he told me that the club is going through some difficulties and the best decision would be for me to go because he didn’t want to see me just play for the sake of playing. And that’s how things were the last few months at the club. It was a good departure with mutual agreement and lots of respect.

How much are you involved with tactical planning at Sundowns?

It seems Rulani Mokwena has given you much credit for being innovative this season. It’s the attention to detail. In every aspect of the club, it’s out of this world. They check for the smallest detail – that extra 0.01% that will make you a better player. We do corrections – that’s how we are at the club – always looking to do better and do well, even though we’ve been winning and haven’t lost many times. We analyse everything. The attention to detail is just out of this world and they ask us to watch soccer all the time, to learn to see how the bigger clubs in Europe are doing it. We steal ideas, and we try and implement them – to take our game to the next level. So all credit must go to the coaching staff, especially to Rulani because he’s always looking for ways to improve his players, to improve the team. You’ll find him sending you video clips in the middle of the night, games to watch from overseas – he’ll be tagging you on things on social media.

And are you able to make suggestions to him?

Yes, all the time, you can see in every game. You’ll see me some time during the game, running up to him and me discussing something. And he’s fine with that. He’s given me the licence, the freedom to make changes, to alter if needs be, because, obviously, I can see things better on the day in the game. We’ve built that trust between us that allows me sometimes to change the build-up, to change the structure or change the way we press. He’s very open to suggestions from the players.

How much do you enjoy thinking about the game, coming up with concepts, improving your tactics?

I love it. It’s so interesting to see where the game is. As much as everyone is playing a different way – there are so many clues – you can see lots of trends and ideas and you try and follow them; see how you can become better. I just love it because it keeps me motivated, it keeps me hungry to want to learn, to look to improve. I’m excited to go to training every morning because I know I’m going to learn something new.

Were you surprised South Africa got as far as the Africa Cup of Nations semifinals?

Not at all. In many interviews I’ve done over the last year, I told the journalists that I can see Bafana Bafana doing well at Afcon and no one believed me. But we knew what we were building, we knew the brotherhood we had and the talent that I’ve seen at Sundowns, as well as Bafana Bafana. Now, if you have the brotherhood and the team spirit is tops, there’s nothing that can stand in your way. The unity can carry you when you don’t maybe have the best players and when things are not going well. That’s when you count on each other and that showed at Afcon when things were tough and guys were injured. When guys were tired, when you start missing your family – that’s when the brother comes through for you.

How exciting will it be to possibly play against the likes of Manchester City and Real Madrid in next year’s Club World Cup?

That we’re going to be part of this expanded tournament, with so many teams, speaks volumes for the club and the direction we want to go. We were part of the first African Football League too. So it just shows you the level we are at and what we want to achieve as a club.

What is your secret to saving penalties?

Check out five top saves from Ronwen Williams! Study and watch. Watch your opponents, watch a lot of football, analyse the opposition. I analyse penalties all the time. I’ve always enjoyed it. And I’ve always been good at it. But at the end of the day, it’s still a lottery, so I’m just glad that most of the time I can do my best and save.

Your penalty-saving heroics at the Cup of Nations saw many speculate about a move to Europe.

Maybe it’s a bit too late for me now. And obviously I know I’m not the tallest as well. It needs to make sense – to leave a club whose ambitions are so big, and like I said, I’m happy at the club. But if something comes along and the club is happy to let me go…