Nicholas Williams Arthuer (born 12 July 2002) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a winger for club Athletic Bilbao and the Spain national team. He is recognised for his speed and dribbling skills.Under the microscope:What makes Nico Williams a key asset of Athletic Bilbao , Ajai Subrahamian, La Liga Analysis, 23 December 2022
Joining Athletic Bilbao's youth academy in 2013, he was promoted to the reserve team in 2020 and to the first team a year later, becoming a teammate of elder brother Iñaki Williams, with both winning the 2023–24 Copa del Rey.
Williams debuted for Spain's senior side in 2022. He was a member of their 2022 World Cup, Euro 2024 and 2026 World Cup squads. He scored and was named man of the match in the 2024 final as Spain won the tournament. At the 2026 World Cup, Williams made six appearances as a substitute including in the final, where he provided the assist for the only goal as his country won their second world title.
Club career
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 2022. In the first half-hour of the match he pressurised an opponent into conceding an own goal, was tripped to give his side a penalty (converted by Oihan Sancet) then scored himself via a dribble from the right wing and powerful shot for his first goal in the competition.Nico Williams opens La Liga account as Athletic Bilbao thrash Elche , Shina Oludare, Goal.com, 11 September 2022 Coincidentally this was the same venue and opponent where his brother first found the net in the league seven years earlier.Nico Williams follows in brother Inaki footsteps after scoring for Athletic Bilbao at Elche , GhanaSoccernet, 14 September 2022 He scored again the following week, the decisive goal of a 3–2 victory over Rayo Vallecano and his first at San Mamés. After missing two good scoring chances in the 2022–23 Copa del Rey semi-final as Athletic were knocked out by rivals Osasuna, Williams was forced to deactivate his social media accounts temporarily due to the volume and nature of abusive messages sent to him; he recovered from this disappointment to score the winner against Espanyol in the league four days later.
2023–2024 season Athletic made a strong start to the 2023–24 La Liga season with Williams providing numerous scoring chances, mainly from the left wing as coach Ernesto Valverde settled on a front line featuring Iñaki on the opposite flank and Gorka Guruzeta in the centre, supported by Oihan Sancet. With Williams's contract expiring in 2024 and media speculation linking him with clubs such as Aston Villa, Barcelona, Liverpool and Real Madrid, his representatives negotiated with the club for several months before a new contract running to 2027 was agreed on 1 December 2023. On 6 April 2024 in the Copa del Rey final against Mallorca, he provided the assist for Sancet to score, and was subsequently named Man of the Match. The final ended in a 1–1 draw and Athletic went on to win a penalty shootout to claim their first major trophy in 40 years. The club also finished fifth in the league, their highest position for eight years. He was nominated for the 2024 edition of the Ballon d'Or, finishing 15th. Despite the new contract, its relatively low buyout clause of approximately €58 million combined with his good form for club and country meant that he continued to be linked with other top clubs, most prominently Barcelona due to his friendship with Lamine Yamal, throughout the 2024 summer transfer window, though no party paid the release fee and Athletic were not interested in selling;Barcelona warned by Athletic chief over Nico Williams interest, Sam Marsden / Moises Llorens, ESPN, 11 July 2024 Williams ultimately confirmed that he would be staying for at least one year longer.El agente de Nico Williams confirma su deseo cumplido en el Athletic Club: "Ha decidido seguir un año más" [Nico Williams' agent confirms his wish at Athletic Club has been granted: "He has decided to stay for another year], Cadena Ser (in Spanish), 12 September 2024Deco Reveals What Happened with Barcelona's Failed Nico Williams Transfer, BeIN Sports, 14 November 2024
2024–2025 season In the 2024–25 season, Williams's statistical return was similar to the previous campaign,Nico Williams Scout Report At Athletic Bilbao 2024/2025: Does His Style Of Play Better Fit Barcelona Or Arsenal? – Player Analysis, Kurosh Moghtader, Total Football Analysis, 10 May 2025Lo que puede aportar Nico Williams al Barça de Hansi Flick [What Nico Williams can bring to Hansi Flick's Barça], Adrià Fernández, Sport (in Spanish), 21 June 2025 although his performances were periodically affected by injury issues and he was assessed to have "not had a particularly standout season",Barcelona expected to forego Nico Williams as 2025 transfer option, John Menzies, Football España, 16 February 2025 with the club's strong form in La Liga (in which they qualified for the UEFA Champions League for the first time in a decade) largely due to a strong defence, while Oihan Sancet was the most effective attacking component. Williams made his first appearances in continental competition, scoring five times including decisive goals in knockout ties against Roma and Rangers and being named in the team of the tournament as Athletic progressed to the semi-finals of the UEFA Europa League, but they were unsuccessful in their efforts to reach the final (to be staged at San Mamés)The unique problem Athletic Bilbao must overcome to fulfil Europa League dream, Miguel Delaney, The Independent, 1 May 2025 and also made early exits from the Supercopa de España and their defence of the Copa del Rey.
2025–2026 season In June 2025, speculation over his future intensified, with Barcelona widely reported as having agreed contractual terms with the playerBarca close in on Athletic Bilbao winger Williams, Guillem Balague / Sean Kearns, BBC Sport, 19 June 2025Bayern Munich Goes for Nico Williams and Seeks to Snatch Him Away From Barcelona, Enrique Amaro, BeIN Sports, 21 June 2025 but seeking to pay the transfer fee in instalments due to ongoing financial constraints – which also had the potential to complicate his registration upon completion of the move – as Athletic stood firm over their demand for the contractual release clause fee to be paid up entirely, their position entrenched due to the historic rivalry between the clubsGoikoetxea - Maradona: la génesis del caso Williams y del choque Athletic - Barça... [Goikoetxea - Maradona: The genesis of the Williams case and the Athletic - Barça clash...], Fernando Carreño, Marca (in Spanish), 21 June 2025 and the Bilbao hierarchy's ongoing irritation towards their counterparts in Catalonia at the manner of the protracted pursuit. Amid the usual sensationalised media reports, side issues included an officially-publicised meeting between the presidents of Athletic and LaLiga in relation to the enforcement of financial regulations,Athletic Club ask LaLiga if Barcelona able to sign Williams, Sam Marsden, ESPN, 26 June 2025El dardo al Barça: “El Athletic se ocupa de lo suyo” [Barça's barb: "Athletic is minding its own business"], Endika Río, Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish), 26 June 2025 and the defacement of a mural of Williams in Barakaldo by local fans angry at his reported departure, an action repeated after the club condemned the vandalism and paid for a restoration. On 4 July, Williams renewed his contract with Athletic Bilbao in a 10-year deal, set to run until 2035 and with a reported release clause fee of around €90 million; the announcement video included the Barakaldo mural being spraypainted at night with the slogan 'WIN 2035' by a hooded figure, revealed to be the player.
The renewal video later won an award for best social media content of the year in Spanish football,Athletic Club wins award for best social media content in 2025, Athletic Club, 27 March 2026 but on the field the 2025–26 season was one of frustration for the club as they were weakened by several injuries and struggled to balance the demands of domestic competitions and the Champions League. Williams was hampered by a persistent pubalgia issue, missing several matches (making only three European appearances) and having little impact on others as efforts were made to manage the condition gradually, with surgery ruled out due to the potential for further complications. Williams occasionally showed flashes of his best form and scored a solo effort against Real Oviedo in November 2025 which was voted as Goal of the Month,Nico Williams, LALIGA EA SPORTS Goal of the Month for November, LaLiga, 3 December 2025 but by February 2026 it was clear that the situation was of little benefit to the player or team and he was withdrawn from the Athletic squad to undergo more intense treatment.Nico Williams pubalgia update: A new treatment plan underway, Endika Río, Mundo Deportivo, 17 February 2026 He returned to action two months later and contributed decisively (an assist and two late goals) to an away win over Deportivo Alavés which eased fears over relegation,Nico Williams double inspires Athletic Club comeback victory over Alaves, Ghana Soccernet, 4 May 2026 but then was absent for the end of the league campaign with a hamstring injury.Nico Williams has put his pubalgia behind him, Endika Río, Mundo Deportivo, 13 July 2026
International career 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.Ansu Fati sustituye a Nico Williams en la convocatoria de Luis de la Fuente para la Nations League [Ansu Fati replaces Nico Williams in Luis de la Fuente's call-up for the Nations League], RFEF (in Spanish), 5 June 2023
UEFA Euro 2024