Nico Williams, Young Spanish Star, Shines at Athletic Club and La Furia Roja

JAKARTA - Nico Williams, a talented 21-year-old young player, has become the main spotlight in the world of Spanish football. The 181 cm tall player plays as an attacking midfielder for Athletic Club Bilbao with the number 11 on his back. Born on July 12, 2002, Nico has shown extraordinary abilities and become one of the key players in his team.

During this season in LaLiga, Nico appeared in 31 matches, scored 5 goals, and provided 11 assists. His dribbling skills and creating opportunities through crosses and short passing games make him a threat to opponents. Although his defensive contribution still needs to be improved, his attacking abilities are already very prominent. In the Copa del Rey, Nico also contributed by scoring 3 goals in 4 matches.

"You learn from your mistakes. I missed two big chances in the Copa del Rey match against Osasuna, which was very painful, but I have made great progress mentally in that regard. I continue to work very hard to try and help the team because if you miss one chance, you know there will be another one coming," said Williams.

At international level, Nico also impressed with the Spanish national team in the European Championship. In a match against Croatia on June 15, 2024, Spain won 3-0 and Nico played for 68 minutes with a rating of 6.98.

Five days later, on June 20, 2024, Spain won 1-0 against Italy, with Nico playing for 78 minutes and getting a rating of 7.49. His ability to play in the left attacking midfielder position is one of the important factors in the team's strategy.

"We knew it was going to be a very tough game and what we needed to do. We dominated in every aspect, Italy is a great team, but we played very well and deserved to win," said Williams.

"My teammates applauded me in the dressing room and I want to thank them for helping me with their skills. I'm happy to be able to help them in the dressing room. I got a message from my brother soon, and I hope my family enjoys this as much as I do," he said.

He also received the title of Man of The Match, because his cross resulted in an own goal for Italy, which eventually won La Furia Roja.

"Everything went really well tonight and my teammates helped me a lot. One-on-one situations are my specialty. When you get past the full-back for the first time, it makes things easier," Williams said of the MoM title.

In his last few matches, Nico has continued to show consistent performance. For example, in the match against Villarreal on April 14, 2024, he recorded a rating of 7.12. In the match against Granada on April 19, 2024, he even got a rating of 7.53. In addition, his performance against Atletico Madrid on April 27, 2024 with a rating of 7.65 shows that he is able to compete at the highest level.

With a total of 37 matches this season, Nico has played for 2429 minutes, scored 8 goals, and provided 11 assists. He has also received 5 yellow cards and 1 red card. Nico has an average of 1.8 shots per game, a passing accuracy of 79.7%, and wins 0.3 aerial duels per game. With 3 Man of the Match awards, his overall rating average is 7.16.

Nico Williams Characteristics

• Strengths: Dribbling (Strong)
• Weaknesses: Defensive contribution (Weak)
• Style of Play: Likes to dribble, likes to cross, and likes to play with short passes.

Nico Williams is a young player with great potential, and with his consistent performances, he has the potential to become one of the future stars of Spanish football. His impressive performances for club and country show that he is ready for bigger challenges in the future.

"I think this is my most complete performance with Spain and I hope to continue to help the team as much as possible. Possessing the ball is my weakness and I am trying to work on that, but I am still happy," he concluded.