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Nico Williams

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Not to be confused with Neco Williams.
In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Williams and the second or maternal family name is Arthuer.

Nicholas "Nico" Williams Arthuer (born 12 July 2002) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a winger for La Liga club Athletic Bilbao and the Spain national team. He is the younger brother of footballer Iñaki Williams.

Nico Williams
Williams playing for Athletic Bilbao in 2023
Personal information
Full name Nicholas Williams Arthuer[1]
Date of birth (2002-07-12) 12 July 2002 (age 22)
Place of birth Pamplona, Spain
Height 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)[1]
Position(s) Winger
Team information
Current team
 Athletic Bilbao
Number 10
Youth career
2010–2012 Wolverhampton Wanderers
2012–2013 Osasuna
2013–2019 Athletic Bilbao
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2019–2020 Basconia 3 (0)
2020–2021 Athletic Bilbao B 24 (9)
2021– Athletic Bilbao 110 (12)
International career‡
2019–2021 Spain U18 4 (2)
2021–2022 Spain U21 5 (1)
2022– Spain 22 (4)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Spain
UEFA European Championship
Winner 2024 Germany
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 08:29, 30 September 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 8 September 2024

Joining Athletic Bilbao's youth academy in 2013, he was promoted to the reserve team in 2020 and to the first team a year later, becoming a teammate of elder brother Iñaki Williams. Quickly being widely recognised for his speed and dribbling skills,[2] Williams debuted for Spain's senior side in 2022. He was a member of their 2022 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2024 squads, scoring and being named man of the match in the final of the latter as Spain won the tournament.

Club career

Born in Pamplona, Navarre, Williams joined the youth academy of Athletic Bilbao in 2013 from hometown side CA Osasuna.[3] He began his senior career with the club's farm team, Basconia, during the 2019–20 season.[4]

On 11 May 2020, Williams was promoted to the reserve team in the Segunda División B.[5] He made his first-team—and La Liga—debut on 28 April the following year, coming on as a second-half substitute for Jon Morcillo in a 2–2 home draw against Real Valladolid;[6] his brother Iñaki also came off the bench ten minutes later. It was the first time two siblings had been on the pitch at the same time for the club since Julio and Patxi Salinas in 1986.[7][8]

Williams scored his first two goals for the Lions on 6 January 2022, in a 2–0 win over Atlético Mancha Real in the campaign's Copa del Rey.[9] Seven days later, he scored the winning goal in a 2–1 victory over Atlético Madrid in the semi-final of the 2022 Supercopa de España.[10] On 20 January 2022, Williams was given a first team contract after meeting a number of clauses.[11]

Williams was a starter in four of the first five matches of the 2022–23 La Liga campaign, and was named player of the match in a 4–1 away win against Elche CF on 11 September 2022. In the first half-hour of the match he pressurised an opponent into conceding an own goal, was tripped to give his side a penalty (converted by Oihan Sancet) then scored himself via a dribble from the right wing and powerful shot for his first goal in the competition.[12] Coincidentally this was the same venue and opponent where his brother first found the net in the league seven years earlier.[13] He scored again the following week, the decisive goal of a 3–2 victory over Rayo Vallecano and his first at San Mamés.[14] After missing two good scoring chances in the 2022–23 Copa del Rey semi-final as Athletic were knocked out by rivals Osasuna, Williams was forced to deactivate his social media accounts temporarily due to the volume and nature of abusive messages sent to him;[15] he recovered from this disappointment to score the winner against Espanyol in the league four days later.[16][17]

Athletic made a strong start to the 2023–24 La Liga season with Williams providing numerous scoring chances, mainly from the left wing as coach Ernesto Valverde settled on a front line featuring Iñaki on the opposite flank and Gorka Guruzeta in the centre, supported by Oihan Sancet.[18][19] With Williams's contract expiring in 2024 and media speculation linking him with clubs such as Aston Villa, Barcelona, Liverpool and Real Madrid,[20][21] his representatives negotiated with the club for several months before a new contract running to 2027 was agreed on 1 December 2023.[22][8] On 6 April 2024 in the Copa del Rey final against Mallorca, he provided the assist for Sancet to score, and was subsequently named Man of the Match.[23] The final ended in a 1–1 draw and Athletic went on to win a penalty shootout to claim their first major trophy in 40 years.[24] The club also finished fifth in the league, their highest position for eight years.

International career

Williams first represented Spain with the under-18 squad in 2020, scoring two goals in four games.[25] He was called up to the Spain under-19s in February 2021,[26] and made his debut for the under-21s in September of the same year.[27] He received his first call-up to the senior squad, coached by Luis Enrique, for 2022–23 UEFA Nations League fixtures in September 2022, and made his debut in a 2–1 home defeat against Switzerland.[28] On November 17, he scored his first goal for the national team in a 3–1 friendly win against Jordan.[29] He subsequently was called up for the 2022 FIFA World Cup,[30] where he made four appearances with one start as Spain were eliminated in a penalty shootout by Morocco in the round of 16.[31]

In May 2024, he was selected in the 26-man squad for the UEFA Euro 2024.[32] Williams was named man of the match in Spain's second group game of the tournament against Italy following a 1–0 victory.[33] He scored his first goal in the European competition in a 4–1 victory over Georgia in the round of 16, in addition to providing an assist and achieving 100% pass accuracy, becoming the first player to achieve this feat in the tournament.[8] He scored the opening goal of the final against England with a low left-footed shot following a pass from fellow winger Lamine Yamal; Spain won 2–1 to claim the trophy for a record fourth time[34] with Williams named as Player of the Match.[35]

Personal life

 
Williams reacts after missing a chance to score for Athletic Bilbao in 2023

Williams was born in Pamplona to Ghanaian parents, who travelled across the Sahara Desert to reach Melilla, a Spanish city in Northern Africa.[36][37][38] His parents had been advised by an unidentified lawyer to claim to be from a war-torn country, namely Liberia where a civil war was occurring, when they first entered Spain.[39][38]

His elder brother Iñaki Williams is also a footballer and a forward; he too was brought up at Athletic Bilbao, having been born in Bilbao a short time after his parents arrived there.[40][41][8] Nico typically wears Williams Jr on the back of his shirt, including in international matches that do not involve Iñaki (who represents Ghana internationally).[42]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 3 October 2024[43]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Copa del Rey Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Basconia 2019–20 Tercera División 3 0 — — 1[a] 0 4 0
Athletic Bilbao B 2020–21 Segunda División B 24 9 — — 2[b] 0 26 9
Athletic Bilbao 2020–21 La Liga 2 0 0 0 — 0 0 2 0
2021–22 La Liga 34 0 4 2 — 2[c] 1 40 3
2022–23 La Liga 36 6 7 3 — — 43 9
2023–24 La Liga 31 5 6 3 — — 37 8
2024–25 La Liga 7 1 0 0 2[d] 0 0 0 9 1
Total 110 12 17 8 2 0 2 1 131 21
Career total 137 21 17 8 2 0 5 1 161 30
  1. ^ Appearance in Tercera División play-offs
  2. ^ Appearances in Segunda División B play-offs
  3. ^ Appearances in Supercopa de España
  4. ^ Appearances in UEFA Europa League

International

As of match played 8 September 2024[44]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Spain 2022 7 1
2023 4 1
2024 11 2
Total 22 4
As of match played 8 September 2024
Spain score listed first, score column indicates score after each Williams goal.[44]
List of international goals scored by Nico Williams
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition
1 17 November 2022 Amman International Stadium, Amman, Jordan 3   Jordan 3–0 3–1 Friendly
2 8 September 2023 Boris Paichadze Dinamo Arena, Tbilisi, Georgia 9   Georgia 6–1 7–1 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying
3 30 June 2024 RheinEnergieStadion, Cologne, Germany 17   Georgia 3–1 4–1 UEFA Euro 2024
4 14 July 2024 Olympiastadion, Berlin, Germany 20   England 1–0 2–1 UEFA Euro 2024

Honours

Athletic Bilbao

Spain

Individual

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 – Squad list: Spain (ESP)" (PDF). FIFA. 15 November 2022. p. 27. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 November 2022. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
  2. ^ Under the microscope:What makes Nico Williams a key asset of Athletic Bilbao Archived 19 July 2023 at the Wayback Machine, Ajai Subrahamian, La Liga Analysis, 23 December 2022
  3. ^ Rabuñal, Iago Castro (8 May 2020). "Nico Williams, la nueva gran promesa del Athletic" [Nico Williams, the new great promise of Athletic] (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 10 July 2021. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  4. ^ "Nico Williams sube al filial e Iñaki le espera pronto a su lado" [Nico Williams goes up to the subsidiary and Iñaki will be waiting for him soon by his side]. AS.com (in Spanish). 11 May 2020. Archived from the original on 30 April 2021. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  5. ^ "Nico Williams y Nico Serrano, al Bilbao Athletic" [Nico Williams and Nico Serrano, to Bilbao Athletic]. Athletic Club website (in Spanish). 11 May 2020. Archived from the original on 23 May 2020. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  6. ^ "Athletic Club vs. Real Valladolid". Soccerway. 28 April 2021. Archived from the original on 28 April 2021. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  7. ^ "Draw against Real Valladolid at San Mamés". Athletic Club website. 28 April 2021. Archived from the original on 1 May 2021. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  8. ^ a b c d Balagué, Guillem (30 June 2024). "'A story of human trafficking, hope and love'". BBC Sport. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
  9. ^ "Nico Williams' double ends the illusion of Atlético Mancha Real". Spain's News. 6 January 2022. Archived from the original on 19 October 2022. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
  10. ^ "Nico Williams scores dramatic late winner as Athletic Club stun Atletico Madrid with comeback". Eurosport. 13 January 2022. Archived from the original on 20 January 2022. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  11. ^ "Nico Williams earns first-team contract". Athletic Bilbao. 20 January 2022. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  12. ^ Nico Williams opens La Liga account as Athletic Bilbao thrash Elche Archived 20 September 2022 at the Wayback Machine, Shina Oludare, Goal.com, 11 September 2022
  13. ^ Nico Williams follows in brother Inaki footsteps after scoring for Athletic Bilbao at Elche Archived 15 September 2022 at the Wayback Machine, GhanaSoccernet, 14 September 2022
  14. ^ "Williams brothers enjoy stirring send-off at Athletic after international calls | Sid Lowe". the Guardian. 19 September 2022. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  15. ^ "Nico Williams cierra sus redes sociales tras una noche de insultos" [Nico Williams closes his social media after a night of insults]. Marca (in Spanish). 5 April 2023. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  16. ^ "Nico Williams: "Lo he pasado muy mal, me he comido mucho la cabeza y no creía en mí"" [Nico Williams: "I had a really bad time, I was really worried and I didn't believe in myself]. Marca (in Spanish). 8 April 2023. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  17. ^ "Los Williams enmudecen al Espanyol" [The Willimas silence Espanyol]. Diario AS (in Spanish). 8 April 2023. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  18. ^ "Nico Williams y Guruzeta lideran LaLiga" [Nico Williams and Guruzeta lead LaLiga]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 1 December 2023. Archived from the original on 1 December 2023. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  19. ^ "Are Valverde's Athletic Club the most fun football team to watch in 2024?". The Guardian. 18 March 2024. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  20. ^ "Transfer Talk: Real Madrid, Barcelona eye Nico Williams". ESPN. 16 November 2023.
  21. ^ "Liverpool miss out on Nico Williams transfer as Athletic Club star signs new contract". Evening Standard. 1 December 2023.
  22. ^ "Nico Williams signs three-year contract extension at Athletic Club". Athletic Bilbao. 1 December 2023.
  23. ^ "Nico Williams se lleva el trofeo a mejor jugador de la final" [Nico Williams takes the trophy for the best player of the final]. Royal Spanish Football Federation (in Spanish). 6 April 2024. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  24. ^ a b Real, Mario Reinoso del (7 April 2024). "Athletic 1–1 (4–2) Mallorca, en directo: final de Copa del Rey 2024 | Celebración del Athletic, campeón de Copa". Diario AS. Archived from the original on 11 April 2024. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  25. ^ "La Selección Sub 18 llama a Nico Williams, hermano de Iñaki" [The Under 18 National Team calls Nico Williams, Iñaki's brother]. www.besoccer.com (in Spanish). 19 January 2020. Archived from the original on 30 April 2021. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  26. ^ "Nico Serrano y Nico Williams, convocados por la selección española sub-19" [Nico Serrano and Nico Williams, called up by the Spanish U19 team]. Athletic Club website (in Spanish). 16 February 2021. Archived from the original on 28 April 2021. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  27. ^ "Vencedor and Nico Williams make their Spain Under-21 debuts". Athletic Club. 3 September 2021. Archived from the original on 11 November 2022. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
  28. ^ "Big blow for Ghana as Spain names Nico Williams in squad for September friendly matches". GhanaWeb. 16 September 2022. Archived from the original on 22 September 2022. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
  29. ^ "Ansu Fati scores in Spain World Cup warm-up win over Jordan". ESPN. 17 November 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  30. ^ "List of called-up players for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022". Royal Spanish Football Federation. 11 November 2022. Archived from the original on 14 November 2022. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  31. ^ Miguel Delaney (6 December 2022). "Morocco heroes stand tall to make history as Spain shrink in shootout". The Independent. Archived from the original on 21 June 2024. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  32. ^ "OFFICIAL | Final Spain squad for the Euro 2024 finals". Royal Spanish Football Federation. 7 June 2024. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
  33. ^ "Spain 1–0 Italy: Calafiori own goal settles heavyweight contest as Roja win Group B". Uefa. 20 June 2024. Archived from the original on 21 June 2024. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
  34. ^ 'A good thing for football' – Spain's victory caps off perfect campaign, Emlyn Begley, BBC Sport, 15 July 2024
  35. ^ "Official UEFA EURO 2024 final Vivo Player of the Match: Spain's Nico Williams". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 14 July 2024. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
  36. ^ "Iñaki Williams explains how he got his name and why Bilbao means so much to him". Diario AS. 4 March 2020. Archived from the original on 11 October 2023. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  37. ^ "Nico Williams: Spain U-17 coach tips Bilbao youngster for greatness". Footy Ghana. 1 June 2020. Archived from the original on 28 April 2021. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  38. ^ a b "Iñaki Williams: 'My parents crossed the desert barefoot to get to Spain illegally'". Guardian. 6 October 2021. Archived from the original on 21 June 2024. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  39. ^ "Iñaki Williams explains how he got his name and why Bilbao means so much to him". Diario AS. 4 March 2020. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  40. ^ Río, Endika (10 February 2019). "El hermano de Iñaki Williams debuta con gol en el juvenil del Athletic" [Iñaki Williams's brother debuts with goal for Athletic youths]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 14 February 2019. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
  41. ^ Abizanda, Jorge (31 January 2021). "El imparable ascenso de Nico Williams en el Athletic" [The unstoppable rise of Nico Williams at Athletic]. ABC (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 31 January 2021. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
  42. ^ Meet Nico Williams – Spain's other star winger at Euro 2024, Ian Hawkey, The Times, 12 July 2024 (subscription required)
  43. ^ "N. Williams". Soccerway. Archived from the original on 25 July 2021. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  44. ^ a b "Nico Williams". EU-Football.info. Archived from the original on 7 October 2021. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
  45. ^ UEFA.com. "Spain 2–1 England | UEFA EURO 2024 Final". UEFA.com. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
  46. ^ "Nico Williams and Gorka Guruzeta, LALIGA EA SPORTS Best Play of August". La Liga. 8 September 2023. Archived from the original on 8 September 2023. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  47. ^ "Nico Williams and Iñigo Lekue win LALIGA EA SPORTS Move of the Month for December". La Liga. 6 January 2024. Archived from the original on 6 January 2024. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  48. ^ "UEFA EURO 2024 Team of the Tournament". UEFA. 16 July 2024. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
 
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