Nico Williams causes a lot of unrest in opposing defenses on Spain’s left wing.
Photo: image/Uwe Kraft
Ball reception as smooth as butter. On the way to the penalty area, a few strokes with the right foot, pull inwards, aim for the right corner of the goal and hold on to it. The colleagues on the highly recommended podcast from “11Freunde” described Nico Willams quite aptly: a delicate crusher. The 21-year-old winger once again dazzled his opponents on Thursday evening, this time Italian. The only reason why his Spaniards weren’t able to score their own goal in their 1-0 win was because the Gelsenkirchen crossbar was definitely hanging a few centimeters too low during that blast in the 71st minute. He was still voted the best player of the game.
Williams is a fan favorite not only at this European Championship because of his offensive style of play. In a world in which professional footballers are only accused of aloofness and greed for money, he is the counter-narrative: His parents fled from Ghana, sometimes barefoot across the Sahara. The mother, pregnant with her older brother, also climbed over the border fence to Melilla. The fact that they had to lie about coming from Liberia in order to apply for asylum should be blamed on the European isolation policy.
Inaki and later Nico were born in the Basque Country. They became professionals at Athletic Bilbao, the club that only accepts Basques. Although major English and Spanish clubs allegedly wanted to poach Nico, he extended his contract with his hometown club in the winter. Fans all over the world like loyalty.
If the Basque team were allowed to play at the European Championships, Williams would probably play for them. As it was, he decided on the Spanish national jersey, even though his brother wore the Ghana jersey. Spain’s fans will be grateful as Nico Williams clearly has what it takes to help Spain end their 12-year title drought.Oliver Kern
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