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Nico Williams

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This article is about the Spanish footballer. For the Welsh footballer, see Neco Williams.
In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Williams and the second or maternal family name is Arthuer.

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 11
Youth career
2010–2012 CD Pamplona
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 103 (11)
International career‡
2019–2021 Spain U18 4 (2)
2021–2022 Spain U21 5 (1)
2022– Spain 14 (2)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:20, 25 May 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 21:45, 8 June 2024 (UTC)

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.

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. Quickly being widely recognised for his speed and dribbling skills,[2] Williams debuted for Spain's senior side in 2022, and was a member of their 2022 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2024 squads.

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 of 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]

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.[8] Seven days later, he scored the winning goal in a 2–1 victory over Atlético Madrid in the semi-final of the 2021–22 Supercopa de España.[9] On 20 January 2022, Williams was given a first team contract after meeting a number of clauses.[10]

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, won a penalty for a trip (converted by Oihan Sancet) then scored himself via a dribble from the right wing and powerful shot for his first goal in the competition.[11] Coincidentally this was the same venue and opponent where his brother first found the net in the league seven years earlier.[12] He scored again the following week, the decisive goal of a 3–2 victory over Rayo Vallecano and his first at San Mamés.[13]

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.[14][15] With his contract due to expire in 2024 and media speculation linking him with clubs such as Aston Villa, Barcelona, Liverpool and Real Madrid,[16][17] Williams's representatives negotiated with the club for several months before a new contract running to 2027 was agreed on 1 December 2023.[18]

International career

Williams first represented Spain with the under-18 squad in 2020, scoring two goals in four games.[19] He was called up to the Spain under-19s in February 2021,[20] and made his debut for the under-21s in September of the same year.[21] 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.[22] On November 17 he scored his first goal for the national team in a friendly against Jordan and subsequently was called up for 2022 FIFA World Cup, where he made four appearances (one start) as Spain were eliminated in a penalty shootout by Morocco in the Round of 16.[23]

Personal life

Williams was born in Pamplona to Ghanaian parents, who travelled across the Sahara Desert to reach Melilla, an autonomous Spanish city located in North Africa.[24][25][26] His elder brother Iñaki Williams is also a footballer and a forward; he too was brought up at Athletic Bilbao having been born in Spain a short time after his parents arrived there.[27][28] Nico typically wears Williams Jr on the back of his shirt, including in international matches which do not involve Iñaki. Growing up, he was a fan of Asamoah Gyan.[29]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 25 May 2024[30]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Copa del Rey Other Total
Division 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
Total 103 11 17 8 2 1 122 20
Career total 130 20 17 8 5 1 152 29
  1. ^ Appearance in Tercera División play-offs
  2. ^ Appearances in Segunda División B play-offs
  3. ^ Appearances in Supercopa de España

International

As of match played 8 June 2024[31]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Spain 2022 7 1
2023 4 1
2024 3 0
Total 14 2
As of match played 8 June 2024
Spain score listed first, score column indicates score after each Williams goal.[31]
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

Honours

Athletic Bilbao

Individual

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 – Squad list: Spain (ESP)" (PDF). FIFA. 15 November 2022. p. 27. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
  2. ^ Under the microscope:What makes Nico Williams a key asset of Athletic Bilbao, 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).
  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.
  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.
  6. ^ "Athletic Club vs. Real Valladolid". Soccerway. 28 April 2021.
  7. ^ "Draw against Real Valladolid at San Mamés". Athletic Club website. 28 April 2021.
  8. ^ "Nico Williams' double ends the illusion of Atlético Mancha Real". Spain's News. 6 January 2022. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
  9. ^ "Nico Williams scores dramatic late winner as Athletic Club stun Atletico Madrid with comeback". Eurosport. 13 January 2022. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  10. ^ "Nico Williams earns first-team contract". Athletic Bilbao. 20 January 2022. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  11. ^ Nico Williams opens La Liga account as Athletic Bilbao thrash Elche, Shina Oludare, Goal.com, 11 September 2022
  12. ^ Nico Williams follows in brother Inaki footsteps after scoring for Athletic Bilbao at Elche, GhanaSoccernet, 14 September 2022
  13. ^ "Williams brothers enjoy stirring send-off at Athletic after international calls | Sid Lowe". the Guardian. 19 September 2022. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  14. ^ "Nico Williams y Guruzeta lideran LaLiga" [Nico Williams and Guruzeta lead LaLiga]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 1 December 2023.
  15. ^ "Are Valverde's Athletic Club the most fun football team to watch in 2024?". The Guardian. 18 March 2024. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  16. ^ "Transfer Talk: Real Madrid, Barcelona eye Nico Williams". ESPN. 16 November 2023.
  17. ^ "Liverpool miss out on Nico Williams transfer as Athletic Club star signs new contract". Evening Standard. 1 December 2023.
  18. ^ "Nico Williams signs three-year contract extension at Athletic Club". Athletic Bilbao. 1 December 2023.
  19. ^ "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.
  20. ^ "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.
  21. ^ Vencedor and Nico Williams make their Spain Under-21 debuts Athletic Club official website, 3 September 2021
  22. ^ Big blow for Ghana as Spain names Nico Williams in squad for September friendly matches, GhanaWeb, 16 September 2022
  23. ^ Miguel Delaney (6 December 2022). "Morocco heroes stand tall to make history as Spain shrink in shootout". The Independent.
  24. ^ "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.
  25. ^ "Nico Williams: Spain U-17 coach tips Bilbao youngster for greatness". Footy Ghana. 1 June 2020.
  26. ^ "Iñaki Williams: 'My parents crossed the desert barefoot to get to Spain'". Guardian. 6 October 2021. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  27. ^ 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). Retrieved 14 February 2019.
  28. ^ 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). Retrieved 25 February 2021.
  29. ^ Exclusive Interview With Nico Williams, retrieved 24 January 2023
  30. ^ "N. Williams". Soccerway. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  31. ^ a b "Nico Williams". EU-Football.info. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
  32. ^ 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.
  33. ^ "Nico Williams and Gorka Guruzeta, LALIGA EA SPORTS Best Play of August". La Liga. 8 September 2023. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  34. ^ "Nico Williams and Iñigo Lekue win LALIGA EA SPORTS Move of the Month for December". La Liga. 6 January 2024. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
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