Nico Williams played a big part in Spain's victory against European champions Italy. The winger overwhelmed the Italian defenders almost by the minute with his dynamism.
21.06.2024, 08:40
21.06.2024, 08:45
SDA
"I've always dreamed of games like this. It was my best performance with Spain so far," said Nico Williams at the media conference after the gala in the giants' clash with Italy, after which he was deservedly named player of the match.
No less important for the 21-year-old, however, was the appreciation of his team-mates. He was "very happy" about their applause in the dressing room, said the Athletic Bilbao striker. "I'm very happy that people trust me."
Overchallenged opponent
With his brilliant dribbling and acceleration, Nico Williams made his opponent Giovanni di Lorenzo feel like he was in a nightmare on Thursday evening. The Italian was simply overwhelmed by the speed of the Spanish left-back and often ended his moves with his head down.
The scene before Spain's ultimately decisive 1:0 was exemplary of this. Williams first dribbled to the right before skipping past his man on the left with a clever hook. In doing so, Williams showed all his skill with both feet, one of his strengths. His cross took a slight deflection off the head of Alvaro Morata, was deflected with difficulty by Gianluigi Donnarumma, and was then unfortunately turned into his own goal by Riccardo Calafiori.
Stepping out of his brother's shadow
Nicholas Williams Arthuer, the name on the Spanish number 17's passport, has now definitely stepped out of the shadow of his brother Inaki, who is eight years older. The latter has been a regular at Athletic Bilbao for a decade and has played internationally for Ghana since 2022.
"I was always the 'brother of', but now I can finally free myself from that burden and make a name for myself," said a delighted Nico Williams at the beginning of April after winning the Spanish Cup with Athletic Bilbao. He played a big part in the Basque club's first title as "Man of the Match" in the final against Mallorca.
National team debut against Switzerland
The then 20-year-old made his national team debut in September 2022 in Zaragoza in a Nations League match against Switzerland. In the 2-1 home defeat, Williams was substituted by then national team coach Luis Enrique for the last half hour.
The current boss on the Spain touchline, Luis de la Fuente, is full of praise for Nico Williams - and his counterpart on the right, 16-year-old Lamine Yamal: "They are almost a gift from God, very few players have their qualities."
If these young Spaniards - including Pedri - continue to display their qualities to this extent alongside older players such as Alvaro Morata, Rodri and Marc Cucurella, the "Roja" will be hard to beat on their way to a fourth European Championship title.
