“A story of human trafficking, hope and love”

“Dos Ferraris contra Italia” – “Two Ferraris against Italy”

That was the headline from Marca, Spain's biggest sports newspaper, above a photo of precocious talents Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal ahead of the country's Group B victory over the reigning European champions.

With a combined age of 37 – Williams will be 22 on July 12 this year, Yamal will be 17 a day later, the day before the Euro final – the two wingers represent football's brightest future Spanish.

Ahead of Saturday's round of 16 clash against Georgia (8:00 p.m. BST), they are seen as a duo capable of taking the country to potential greatness not seen since they won the Euros in 2008 and 2012 respectively.

They became great friends, with Williams caring for the teenager, inspired by the way his older brother Inaki looked after him in their youth.

The Williams brothers, now teammates at Athletic Club, have since become leaders in the fight against discrimination in Spain – where an undercurrent of racism constantly and insidiously bubbles beneath the surface of certain sections of Spanish society.

Last week, Nico spoke out against a racist reaction on social media to Marca's headline, while the Spanish Federation also expressed its immediate condemnation in support.

The Williams are more aware than most of the huge platform football offerings. They are determined to condemn racism at every opportunity and are very aware of the responsibility their words carry.

“Everything we do is for our parents”

It is worth telling again how Nico and Inaki were born and raised in Spain, because it is a story of human trafficking, hope, emigration and love for foreigners.

As a child, Inaki Williams could never understand why Felix, his father, had problems with his feet.

It was only when he was 18, when he was already playing in the Athletic Club first team, that his mother Maria told him how they had been injured by the burning sands of the Sahara Desert, when a pregnant Maria and her husband left Ghana in search of a better life.

They ended up walking most of the journey that originally took them to the UK, as they were blocked halfway by the gang who had taken their savings.

They were arrested in the Spanish enclave of Melilla in North Africa and, to obtain political asylum, a lawyer advised them to declare that they came from war-torn Liberia rather than Ghana.

He put them in contact with the Catholic priest Inaki Mardones. He found them public accommodation in Bilbao and took them to the hospital where Inaki was born and which was named after the young priest, who also agreed to be Inaki's godfather.

The first gift he gave his godson? His first red and white striped Athletic jersey.

Nico would later say, “Thanks to God, we are all here together now, and we are living a very good life. My parents can see their sons prosper, that’s why they came here. Everything we do is for our parents.”

“They risked their lives so that my brother and I could have a better future. And they succeeded. I will always appreciate what my father and mother did for us – they were fighters, they instilled in us respect, hard work, every day, no one gives you anything.

“The truth is that I am so proud to be able to have them as parents and I try to do everything possible to make them feel proud to have me as a son.”

Despite their new security, life was far from easy for the Williams family. They moved 150 kilometres southeast to Pamplona.

Nicholas Williams Arthuer was born there on July 12, 2002, but unable to find enough work to support his family, Felix moved to London, doing what he could to send money home.

He cleared tables in a food hall in a Chelsea shopping centre and worked as a security guard, even on the turnstiles at Chelsea FC.

He was away for 10 years – he's back in Bilbao now – during which time Inaki became like a father to Nico, while their mother worked up to three jobs at a time to try to support her. family.

When they go to their mother's for lunch, she reminds them to clear the table, do the dishes, and scolds them if they overstep the mark. Their parents' education is constant.

Inaki, who decided to play for Ghana as a tribute to their team, will watch over Nico until the end.

From picking him up from school and giving him a “bocadillo” (sandwich) at the end of class, to later teaching him the behavior he had to adopt if he wanted to become a elite athlete.

“For me, he is a reference, he is everything to me,” Nico said. “He helped my parents and me eat, go to class, get dressed.

“He corrects me, he advises me, he always has in fact, but we get along very well. He's my brother, but he also acts a bit like a father.”

On 28 April 2021, the brothers were brought on as second-half substitutes in Athletic's 2–2 home draw against Real Valladolid, becoming the first siblings to play together for the club since 1986.

After the final, they immediately went to visit their mother, who was unable to attend the match because fans were banned from the stadium due to the Covid pandemic.

“Lamine copies everything Nico does”

Nico has found a new kindred spirit in the national team, he has a close bond with 16-year-old phenom Lamine Yamal.

Online footage of the two teenagers dancing, presumably in preparation for a goal celebration, has gone viral.

There are definitely elements of how Nico interacted with his older brother.

After Spain's victory over Italy, Nico joked: “I already told him [Yamal] that he must learn from “his father”, me!”

Nico also added that he spoke to her and stressed the importance of enjoying these extraordinary and optimistic moments.

Their friendship dates back to when they met at the Spanish FA at Las Rozas in Madrid in March, ahead of Spain's friendlies against Colombia and Brazil, when Nico was tasked with keeping a watchful eye on young Yamal.

While he had planned to spend a day in the capital on his day off, he was asked to go out with the young man, who was wondering what to do with his free time.

Nico agreed. It was a smart move on the part of the federation, which fully understood that there could be no better mentor for Yamal than Nico.

“It’s a good example for him,” said a spokesperson for the federation. “Lamine copies everything Nico does.

“Nico gets up, gets ready and goes to look for Lamine. He knocks on the door of the Barça player's room and insists: 'Come on, we don't need to be late'.”

During a European Championship qualifying match against Georgia last September, Nico and Yamal were recruited. Spain manager Luis de la Fuente has never looked back.

“The biggest clubs in the world are waiting for you”

Fast, explosive, seemingly inexhaustible, Nico is a right-footed winger who can play on either wing or even start from a more central position.

“It was amazing to watch him play,” said former Athletic head coach Gaizka Garitano. “He was very fast, incredibly fast. Even more skilled than his older brother.”

A disappointing performance in Spain's Euro 2024 opener against Croatia left him fearing possible elimination. It also made him doubly determined to show what he could do against Italy.

“I didn’t play with joy,” he told the coaching staff. “I’m going to give it my all in the next match.” De la Fuente's staff took note of his hunger.

If Yamal shone against Croatia, against Italy Nico took command. He has completed six dribbles at the Euro so far, only Yamal surpasses him, with seven.

He has already made 16 appearances for Spain and it seems like a matter of time before the world's biggest clubs make a beckoning move.

In December, Nico signed a contract extension at Athletic Club that could keep him until June 30, 2027.

He comes with a release clause of around £49million, which was enough to deter Chelsea, who have been tracking him for some time, while Barcelona also had a bid rejected.

The player himself recently insisted he was 'happy at Athletic', while club president Jon Uriarte insisted 'we're not worried' despite speculation over its growing future.

For now, he still has unfinished business with Spain, the country whose jersey he wears with distinction and pride.