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The Athletic Bilbao winger’s father made huge sacrifices for his family

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The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week. Become a Member in Seconds Unlock instant access to exclusive member features. You are now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Want to add more newsletters? Five times a week Four Four Two Daily Fantastic football content straight to your inbox! From the latest transfer news, quizzes, videos, features and interviews with the biggest names in the game, plus lots more. Once a week . .. And it’s LIVE! Sign up to our FREE live football newsletter, tracking all of the biggest games available to watch on the device of your choice. Never miss a kick-off! Join the club Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards. Few footballers plying their trade in Europe’s top leagues have a background story quite as compelling as Nico Williams. The 23-year-old winger broke into the Athletic Bilbao first team in 2021 and made his Spain debut a year later. His first senior trophy came when his club side won the Copa del Rey in 2024 and he was a part of the Spain squad that won Euro 2024 later that summer. But all this was only made possible after his parents made huge sacrifices as they chased a better life on a journey that went from the Sahara to the Basque Country - and also saw his father working at another of Europe’s biggest football clubs.

Nico was born in Bilbao in 2002, eight years after his brother Inaki, but only after their parents had made a gruelling trek to the Basque Country from their native Ghana. The brothers’ parents travelled as refugees seeking a better life, which saw them travel 2, 000-miles across the Sahara desert to Melilla, a Spanish exclave on Morocco’s northern coast.

This was a journey made in extreme heat, often barefoot, with not all those who set off making it to their final destination. Upon reaching the Spanish territory, the Williams parents climbed the Melilla border fence and were initially detained. A lawyer would tell the authorities that they were from war-torn Liberia and were subsequently allowed to remain. The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week. This lawyer had connections in Bilbao, opening the door for the couple to travel there, where a man who the elder Williams brother would later be named after, helped them. Within months, the parents welcomed young Inaki into the world “The situation was a bit difficult, ” Nico tells Four Four Two now. “They came from Ghana, and I think it was a difficult situation to leave their family and friends there without knowing anything about Spain. Clearly incredibly appreciative of the choices they made, the 30-time Spain international adds: “In the end, they were very well received by a man called Inaki. From a young age, I learned what suffering is.

“I learned how to share those values that other people don’t have. Thanks to my parents, I have them. I’ve never lacked anything because they’ve always been there for me. ” Inaki and Nico’s father even spent a period in London to provide for the family, and after working at a west London shopping centre near Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge, he also worked at the stadium itself. “Yes, it’s a very strange story, ” Nico, who has previously been linked with the Blues, says. “But my dad was there – he was working as a maintenance electrician, and things like that. ” For more than a decade, Joe Mewis has worked in football journalism as a reporter and editor. Mewis has had stints at Mirror Football and Leeds Live among others and worked at Four Four Two throughout Euro 2024, reporting on the tournament. In addition to his journalist work, Mewis is also the author of four football history books that include times on Leeds United and the England national team. Now working as a digital marketing coordinator at Harrogate Town, too, Mewis counts some of his best career moments as being in the iconic Spygate press conference under Marcelo Bielsa and seeing his beloved Leeds lift the Championship trophy during lockdown. You must confirm your public display name before commenting Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.

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