What Makes Nico Williams One of Most Sought After Wingers in The World and Why Are Barca After Him?

Nico Williams is drawing attention from several of Europe’s leading clubs, especially Barcelona. Let’s explore his standout performances during Euro 2024, although this buzz around him didn’t exactly begin with this tournament.

Watching the legendary Spanish teams of 2008, 2010, and 2012 was akin to observing a mesmerizing metronome.

The ‘take the ball, pass the ball’ philosophy is often associated with Barcelona, but it also became the defining footballing identity of the Spanish men’s national team, showcasing both elegance and effectiveness.

What else is captivating? Grabbing the ball, charging at defenders, causing them to falter and panic as you advance toward the goal.

While Spain didn’t completely abandon their traditional style on their way to Euro 2024 victory, they combined that precise passing game with speed and flair on the flanks, largely thanks to the extraordinary young talents of Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams.

Yamal garnered most of the attention, given he wasn’t even born when Euro 2024 commenced in June (a slight exaggeration, perhaps), but Williams, who just turned 22 last week, was one of the standout performers of the tournament.

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Nico Williams’ Impressive Contributions and Versatile Skill Set

The Athletic Club winger is now linked with a summer transfer, with Barcelona, Chelsea, Arsenal, and Aston Villa reportedly interested in his release clause.

This interest is not solely due to his performances at Euro 2024. Although the tournament marked a breakout moment for Williams on the European stage, he has been impressing La Liga fans for some time.

Athletic finished fifth in Spain’s top division last season and clinched the Copa del Rey, their first major trophy since 1983-84, with much of that success attributed to Williams..

Among players in Europe’s top five leagues for the 2023-24 season, only Florian Wirtz (19), Álex Baena, Kevin De Bruyne, and Álex Grimaldo (all 17) registered more assists than Williams (16) across all competitions, despite Williams playing fewer matches than three of these four players.

After scoring nine goals in 43 matches during the 2022-23 season, Williams contributed eight goals in 37 games last season. This brought the 22-year-old’s total to 24 goal involvements across all competitions, a number surpassed by only eight La Liga players. Additionally, his 16 assists were 12 more than the previous season, achieved in six fewer games.

Even for those who became acquainted with his style during the Euros, it’s clear that Nico has a penchant for dribbling. Among players who appeared in at least 15 La Liga matches in the 2023-24 season, only Rayo Vallecano’s Bebé (5.6) completed more dribbles per 90 minutes than Williams’ 3.4.

Williams also contributes significantly on the defensive end. In La Liga for the 2023-24 season, only five players, including his Athletic teammate and older brother Iñaki, won possession more frequently in the final third than Williams (23). Additionally, only 13 forwards in Spain’s top flight made more tackles than his 31.

The Bilbao connection is strong, with Nico (122) and his 30-year-old brother Iñaki (421) collectively making 543 appearances for the Basque club.

The siblings were pivotal last season, with Iñaki being the sole Athletic player involved in more open-play shot-ending sequences (157) than Nico (123).

Williams’ Stellar Rise: From Domestic Excellence to Euro 2024 Stardom

After an outstanding 2023-24 season domestically, there was considerable excitement surrounding the younger Williams brother as he entered Euro 2024.

With 14 caps (six starts) for Spain’s senior team, including four appearances at the 2022 World Cup (one start), Williams was already making waves. However, Euro 2024 marked his first series of games as a regular starter under manager Luis de la Fuente, and he lived up to expectations, starting six of Spain’s seven matches in Germany. He was an unused substitute in the final group game against Albania, by which point La Roja had already secured top spot.

Spain clinched their group after just two matches, including a 1-0 victory over Italy, where Williams demonstrated his skills against even the most seasoned full-backs.

Giovanni Di Lorenzo must have been reconsidering his international future after being repeatedly beaten by Williams’ dribbles in Gelsenkirchen.

During that match, Williams attempted 11 dribbles, delivered five crosses, and created four chances. These chances do not even include the dribble followed by a low left-footed cross that Riccardo Calafiori unfortunately diverted into his own net (though this does not count as a chance created for an opponent). Only Jamal Musiala for Germany against Denmark (also 11) attempted as many dribbles in a single game during the tournament.

Williams set a new record for the most dribbles attempted by a Spanish player at a European Championship since 1980, with 37 (13 completed), surpassing the previous record held by Lobo Carrasco in 1984 and Lamine Yamal in Euro 2024, both of whom attempted 33.

All of his goal contributions came in the knockout stages, starting with his assist in the Round of 16 match against Georgia. He first set up Rodri’s equalizer from the edge of the box before scoring himself in the second half to make it 3-1. Williams received the ball on the left during a counter-attack, sped towards the Georgian box, deceived the last defender with a smooth feint, and finished emphatically into the top corner of Giorgi Mamardashvili’s net.

Williams continued to shine, with his next goal being the opener in the final against England. He finished Euro 2024 with three goal involvements (two goals and one assist), though this doesn’t fully capture his influence. For instance, his role in Riccardo Calafiori’s own goal, which ultimately secured Spain’s victory, was not officially recorded as an assist for Williams.

His goal in the Euro final made Williams the second-youngest player in European Championship history to score in a final, at 22 years and 2 days, only behind Italy’s Pietro Anastasi in 1968, who was 20 years and 64 days old.

Winning the Henri Delaunay trophy was a fitting reward for Williams after his remarkable summer. It would have been understandable if he felt unfortunate not to win the UEFA Player of the Tournament or Young Player of the Tournament awards, which went to teammates Rodri and Yamal. However, he did secure a spot in Opta’s Team of the Tournament.

As is typical at this time of year, especially after a standout performance in an international tournament, speculation about Williams’ future is rife.

He signed a new contract with Athletic in December 2023, which extends through to the end of the 2026-27 season. Although reports suggest his release clause is relatively modest at around €55 million, Williams has recently indicated that he is not actively seeking to leave his boyhood club. Nevertheless, he has not completely ruled out the possibility of a move.

“I am so happy in Bilbao, I signed a new deal and performed well last season,” he said during the Euros. “I feel at home, but I don’t know what I will do. Nobody can tell you about the future.”

Rumors persistently link Williams with several of Europe’s top clubs, particularly Barcelona, as well as various Premier League teams.