When Nico Williams graces the field, an undeniable magnetism ensues, while his character remains steadfast. In the aftershock of Spain’s resounding 1-0 triumph over Italy last Thursday – indeed, a singular goal can constitute a landslide victory – Spain’s King Felipe VI journeyed to the locker rooms to offer his felicitations. He imparted a concise speech, punctuated by the sentiment that victory must be achieved, even by a self-goal if needed, followed by gentle applause. The royal greeting looped the room: cordial handshakes, amicable smiles, and sporadic conversation. He expressed astonishment at the youth of Lamine Yamal, the players responding with muted laughter and gratitude.
When King Felipe arrived at David Raya, poised to take his leave, an abrupt burst of enthusiastic cheering and clapping intervened. Williams made his sublimely timed entrance to palpable excitement and fanfare. The real figure of admiration had arrived, Spain’s distinguished winger and the man laurelled as the match’s standout player. Eschewing the formalities of the moment, he offered a high-five. The scenario painted a delightful tableau, with Iñaki’s younger sibling and Yamal being the innovators.
Williams swiftly outpaced Giovanni Di Lorenzo within the early stages of the clash, sowing seeds of fear in the Italian defender from the outset, pure tenacity that never wavered. Acquiring speeds of 33.8km/h, Williams was a force of nature, unstoppable in his pursuit. Questioned later about recognising his opponent’s early defeat, his response was a jovial laugh. In his own words, he felt “incredible”, leaving Di Lorenzo feeling helpless after enduring a relentless 78-minute exercise of rinse and repeat.
The initial run presented the first of countless clear opportunities that should have resulted in numerous goals. One of these opportunities manifested in the solitary goal scored by Spain’s Riccardo Calafiori. Memorable was the point at which he altered his course and struck the crossbar – the only entity that could halt his progress. By his own admission, the match was extraordinary, and widely recognised as his finest performance for his country.
This performance also symbolised Spain’s transformation. It was met with a refreshing wave of youthful exuberance. Led by him and Lamine Yamal, the young duo, aged 21 and 16 respectively, have become a formidable pair. As claimed by Marca’s front page on match day, they were “two Ferraris ready to race Italy”. On the other wing, Federico Dimarco faced as many difficulties as Di Lorenzo. Williams pointed out, “Luis de la Fuente allows me more liberty to take on opponents; In contrast, with Luis Enrique, there was greater focus on team play”.
Reflecting on his younger years, Nico recounted his experiences of playing with his elder brother Iñaki at the park. He fondly recalls a particular instance when he was 10 and his brother 18. Despite warnings that playing with older children would be challenging, young Nico never failed to impress. They now share the pitch at Athletic Club, celebrating the club’s first significant victory in four decades, a testament to their talent, dedication and camaraderie. The first voice message Nico chose to listen to after the Italy game was from Iñaki.
The deeper resonance of symbols, in the case of Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal leading the Spanish football team, goes beyond just style. These two lads, both sons of migrant parents, embody the potent symbol of a transformative generation. Yamal’s parents hail from Guinea and Morocco. Williams’s roots can be traced back to Ghana. The European Football Championship (Euros) saw around 10% of players featuring from countries different from their country of origin or heritage; in Spain, this trend is a fresher one, stirring up significant ripples. “We are realizing progress, players like my brother and myself represent integration and immigration… football is a global language”, Williams pointed out. He credited his brother for paving the way for African players in Bilbao, leaving behind a legacy of diverse cultures.
Maria Arthuer, pregnant with Iñaki Williams, came to Spain and chose Bilbao as her son’s birthplace. Maria and her partner, Felix, journeyed across the Sahara on foot – Iñaki only learned this when he became an Athletic first team professional, giving him a deeper understanding of his father’s foot affliction caused by the harsh desert journey. Despite their detention in Melilla, Spain’s North African territory, they eventually reached Bilbao.
In Pamplona, they found a home in public housing, thanks to a Catholic charity and a priest named Iñaki, in whose honour their son was named. Felix moved to London in search of employment, even working as a turnstile operator at Chelsea’s stadium. Years later, Iñaki confided they hardly saw their father during this period; his ambition of becoming a professional footballer was fuelled by a desire to bring his family back together. Given he was eight years older than Nico, Iñaki felt the responsibility of a fatherly figure towards his brother. Bearing the brunt of financial hardness and personal sacrifice like a strict father, guided Iñaki to be steadfast in his determination to succeed not only for Nico, but also for himself.
In the early mornings, he would wake his brother, whip up breakfast, arrange his outfit and accompany him to school. Come afternoon, he would return to pick him up, having brought along a sandwich. His responsibilities continued as he would accompany his brother to practice and outings to the park. Nico carries a tattoo of a lion with a cub; the lion symbolises Iñaki, and the cub symbolises himself.
At Athletic’s Lezama training base, there were predictions of Nico’s potential to surpass his brother’s skills. Ultimately, they both ended up playing together in the main team, creating multiple memories filled with joy and tenderness, with Iñaki continually leading the way. Despite the age gap, they both received their initial senior international call-up within the same week. Both had previous experience playing at the youth level for Spain, but now, while Nico continued with Spain, Iñaki chose to represent Ghana. He had previously played for Spain once in a 2016 friendly and harboured hopes of being called up again, particularly as his performance had improved dramatically over the past two years. However, he finally decided to accept Ghana’s invitation.
This decision can be partly seen as a display of love, or perhaps even sacrifice, comparable to the separation a parent might feel from their child: the need to let go. His decision also partly contributed to Nico’s appearance on the field in Gelsenkirchen. Iñaki initially resisted, conflicted about representing Ghana when his home was Bilbao, but a heartfelt discussion with his 90-year-old grandad, Richard, changed his mind. Richard confessed his limited time left and his dreams of witnessing his grandson represent Ghana, which left Iñaki with no further doubts about his decision.
In a recent chat with Filippo Ricci from Gazzetta dello Sport, Nico stated something profound about that decision. According to Nico, Iñaki “allowed me to remain with Spain”. He explained that his grandfather had wished for one of his grandchildren to play for Ghana, and his elder brother felt it should be him. The choice to represent Ghana was a family decision, and his brother made the sacrifice, stating, “You play for Spain.”
Indeed, he did. On Thursday evening, Nico Williams played purely as himself; it didn’t matter who the opponent was, he was playing his usual game. “Absolute drama, our star,” was his brother’s reaction on Twitter. “This victory belongs to him, our parents and our family,” expressed Nico. – Guardian