All eyes will be on a certain Barcelona wonderkid when England face Spain in Sunday’s Euro 2024 final.
And understandably so.
From Luke Littler to Lamine Yamal, it’s been a good year for 16-year-old sportsmen. Dazzling throughout the entire tournament, Yamal’s embryonic career really took off when cutting inside and channelling his inner-Arjen Robben to knock out France at the semi-final stage.
A sumptuous, curling effort which kissed the post on it’s way in just to add to the aesthetics.
To think, if Spain did not have the youngest goalscorer in European Championship history on the right flank, we would be talking about the man on the left as the sprightly young buck of this La Roja team.
Nico Williams may be five years Yamal’s elder but, at just 21, he too is only just getting started. And while he might not have broken as many records or turned as many heads as Yamal, Athletic Bilbao’s speed demon will certainly depart Germany with a far greater reputation than which he arrived.
HITC reported recently that talks have been held with Arsenal, Newcastle United, Liverpool and an Aston Villa side who reportedly submitted a bid for their long-standing transfer target last January, per the Daily Mail.
It feels increasingly likely that Barcelona will be his destination, however.
Arsenal and Liverpool in race for Spain star Nico Williams
HITC understands that president Joan Laporta has urged the Barca hierarchy to do everything in their power to ensure that Williams and Yamal are team-mates for club as well as country going forward.
It’s certainly a move that would excite Camp Nou icon Andres Iniesta, not to mention Yamal himself.
The prospect of Williams and his baby-faced, brace-wearing compatriot bringing their rapid pace and devastating directness to a La Liga pitch every single week is nothing short of mouth-watering.
“The level he’s showing is in line with the national team,” Iniesta, who famously scored the winner back in 2010 to seal Spain’s first World Cup triumph, tells Mundo Deportivo.
“Nico Williams has also had a fantastic season at his club. He’s a name that will surely be heard by the big teams. His signing for Barca would give the club another level.
“But we’ll see what happens.”
Amid comparisons with Kylian Mbappe, Williams scored eight goals and set up a remarkable 19 more for Athletic in 2023/24. To quote team-mate and older brother Inaki Williams, the Pamplona-born 21-year-old can be truly ‘unstoppable’ in full flow.
Barcelona likely to win the race
“(Every rumour) is good. It means I’m doing my job well. Every kid dreams of being noticed by big clubs,” Williams explains to La Vanguardia.
“I’m focused on doing well at the European Championship. And whatever comes after that I’ll find out, because these days I’m totally disconnected.
“(Yamal and I) get along very well. We’re not just team-mates, we’re also friends, and I think that’s something that also matters when it comes to leading a team to the big time.
“We started talking and we saw that we had a lot of similar topics of conversation. That’s also when the banter started and now I think we have a nice relationship.”
