Nico Williams

Basconia

Born in Pamplona, Navarre, Williams has Ghanaian descent from both his parents. His mother, Maria, was pregnant with his brother Iñaki when she left Ghana with his father Felix. He joined the youth academy of Athletic Bilbao in 2013 from hometown side CA Osasuna. He began his senior career with the club's farm team, Basconia, during the 2019–20 season.

Bilbao Athletic and Athletic Bilbao

2020–2021 season

On 11 May 2020, Williams was promoted to the reserve team in the Segunda División B. He made his first-team—and La Liga—debut on 28 April the following year, coming on as a second-half substitute for Jon Morcillo in a 2–2 home draw against Real Valladolid; his brother Iñaki also came off the bench ten minutes later. It was the first time two siblings had been on the pitch at the same time for the club since Julio and Patxi Salinas in 1986.

2021–2022 season

Williams scored his first two goals for the Lions on 6 January 2022, in a 2–0 win over Atlético Mancha Real in the campaign's Copa del Rey. Seven days later, he scored the winning goal in a 2–1 victory over Atlético Madrid in the semi-final of the 2022 Supercopa de España. On 20 January 2022, Williams was given a first team contract after meeting a number of clauses.

2022–2023 season

Williams was a starter in four of the first five matches of the 2022–23 La Liga campaign, and was named player of the match in a 4–1 away win against Elche CF on 11 September…

Youth

Williams first represented Spain with the under-18 squad in 2020, scoring two goals in four games. He was called up to the Spain under-19s in February 2021, and made his debut for the under-21s in September of the same year.

Senior

Williams received his first call-up to the senior squad, coached by Luis Enrique, for 2022–23 UEFA Nations League fixtures in September 2022, and made his debut in a 2–1 home defeat against Switzerland. On 17 November, he scored his first goal for the national team in a 3–1 friendly win against Jordan. He subsequently was called up for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, where he made four appearances with one start as Spain were eliminated on penalties by Morocco in the round of 16. He missed the 2023 UEFA Nations League Finals due to injury.

UEFA Euro 2024

In May 2024, Williams was selected in the 26-man squad for the UEFA Euro 2024. He was named man of the match in Spain's second group game of the tournament against Italy following a 1–0 victory. He scored his first goal in the European competition in a 4–1 victory over Georgia in the round of 16, in addition to providing an assist and achieving 100% pass accuracy, becoming the first player to achieve this feat in the tournament. He scored the opening goal of the final against England with a low left-footed shot following a pass from fellow winger Lamine Yamal; Spain won 2–1 to claim the trophy for a record fourth time with Williams named as Player of the Match. He…

Club

As of match played 5 September 2026

International

As of match played 19 July 2026

As of match played 5 June 2025 Spain score listed first, score column indicates score after each Williams goal.

Williams was born in Pamplona to Ghanaian immigrants, who travelled across the Sahara Desert and climbed the fence to reach Melilla, a Spanish city in Northern Africa, where they were detained by the civil guard. While they were in jail, a lawyer from the Catholic aid organisation Caritas told his parents: "The only thing you can try is tell them you're from a country at war." They tore up their Ghanaian papers and said they were from Liberia to apply for political asylum. His elder brother, football forward Iñaki Williams, also came through the youth ranks of Athletic Bilbao, having been born in Bilbao sometime after his parents arrived there. Nico typically wears Williams Jr on the back of his shirt, including in international matches that do not involve Iñaki, who represents Ghana at international level.