Euro 2024: Spain – Georgia – Nico Williams' remarkable journey to the top

How Nico and Inaki were born and raised in Spain is worth telling, because it is a story of human trafficking, hope, emigration and the love of strangers.

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

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

They ended up walking most of the journey that initially took them to the UK, as they found themselves 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: “Thank God, we are all here together now, living a very good life. My parents see their sons thriving, 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 gave us instilled respect and hard work, every day, that 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 newfound security, life was far from easy for the Williams family. They moved 150 kilometers 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 at a food hall in a Chelsea shopping centre and worked as a security guard, even at 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 in tribute, 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 so that we could eat, so that I could go to class, so that I could 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 as a bit of 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 barred from the stadium due to the Covid pandemic.

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 him and stressed the importance of enjoying these extraordinary and optimistic moments.

Their friendship dates back to when they met at the Spanish Federation in Las Rozas in Madrid in March, ahead of Spain's friendlies against Colombia and Brazil, where Nico had been tasked with monitoring young Yamal.

Although he was planning 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. A judicious decision on the part of the federation which perfectly understood that there could not be a 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 looking for Lamine. He knocks on the door of the Barça player's room and insists: 'Come on, we can't be late'.”

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

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

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

A disappointing performance in Spain's first match against Croatia at Euro 2024 left him fearing being sidelined. 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 will give everything 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 is seemingly only 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.

It 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 his future .

For now, he still has business to settle with Spain, a country whose jersey he wears with distinction and pride.