Nico Williams
Left Winger · Athletic Club · Spain
About Nico Williams
Nico Williams is one of the most electrifying young wingers in European football — the left flank partner to Yamal on Spain's right, and together the most devastating young wide pair at any international tournament. Born in Pamplona to Ghanaian parents, he came through Athletic Club Bilbao (ESP)'s unique academy — which only signs players of Basque descent or raised in the Basque Country — and has become indispensable to both club and country.
Nico Williams's story
Basque Born, Ghanaian Roots
Nico's parents immigrated to Spain from Ghana, and Nico was born and raised in the Basque Country, qualifying for the unique Athletic Club. His older brother Iñaki also plays for Athletic and Ghana, giving the Williams brothers one of the most extraordinary dual-international stories in football. Nico chose Spain, committed at senior level, and was part of their Euro 2024 winning squad.
Athletic's Icon
His loyalty to Athletic Club when Barcelona (ESP), Real Madrid and others came calling has made him a legend in Bilbao (ESP). He chose to stay, win trophies with his boyhood club, and represent Spain — a decision that resonated deeply with the Basque community. At 23 during the 2026 World Cup he is one of the most devastating left wingers in the world.
From Basconia to San Mamés
Williams joined Athletic Club's academy in 2013 at age 11, having left hometown club Osasuna. He began his senior career with farm team Basconia in the 2019-20 Tercera División season, before being promoted to the reserve side, Bilbao Athletic, in Segunda División B in May 2020. He made his first-team and La Liga debut on 28 April 2021, coming on as a substitute in a 2-2 draw with Real Valladolid — with brother Iñaki, already an established first-teamer, coming off the bench ten minutes later in the same match, the first time two siblings had appeared for Athletic together since Julio and Patxi Salinas in 1986. Williams scored his first senior goals in a Copa del Rey tie in January 2022, then the winning goal in that year's Supercopa de España semi-final against Atlético Madrid, before signing his first professional contract later that month.
The Idol Behind the Dedication
Growing up, no wide player captured Williams's imagination like Neymar did. That admiration resurfaced publicly after Spain's 2026 World Cup final win over Argentina on 19 July 2026, when Williams dedicated the victory to his boyhood hero. It's a rare glimpse of the influences behind a player whose own game — close control and searing pace down the left — has itself become a reference point for a new generation of wingers.
Supersub to World Champion
Luis de la Fuente turned a mid-tournament fitness problem into a weapon: Williams finished the 2026 World Cup a champion without completing ninety minutes in any knockout game — a substitute impact unmatched anywhere else in the tournament. It capped a period in which his loyalty to Athletic Club — a ten-year contract signed in July 2025, running to 2035 — went untested by the transfer speculation that usually follows a World Cup winner.
Did you know?
- 🪑 His assist for the winner came in extra time of the final — the decisive pass of the World Cup, delivered by a player who hadn't started a knockout game all tournament.
- 🇧🇷 Williams has idolised Neymar since childhood, drawn to his flair on the wing — a devotion he made public in the most-watched moment of his career, dedicating Spain's World Cup win to him.
- 🇬🇭 Nico's parents, Félix and María, crossed more than 3,000km — including the Sahara Desert on foot — from Ghana in the early 1990s, María pregnant with Nico's older brother Iñaki at the time; the family settled in Bilbao after entering Spain via the North African enclave of Melilla.
Honours
- UEFA Euro 2024: Spain — scored in the final, Man of the Match
- Copa del Rey: Athletic Club 2023–24
- FIFA World Cup 2026: Spain — assist in the final
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