NICO WILLIAMS HONOURS HIS MOTHER ❤️ | FIFA WORLD CUP 2026 | 'DREAMS COME TRUE'

 

NICO WILLIAMS AND HIS BEAUTIFUL GIRLFRIEND AINHI GARCIA | FIFA WORLD CUP 2026

 🇬🇭🇪🇸 Nico Williams with his 😘 beautiful girlfriend Ainhi Garcia after winning the World cup.🏆🫂

SIBLINGS PLAYING FOR DIFFERENT NATIOMAL TEAMS AT 2026 WORLD CUP

REAL MADRID 'PHENOMENON' RODRYGO MAKES ARSENAL TRANSFER DECISION AFTER £59M 'OFFER' REPORTS

Rodrygo has been heavily linked with a move to Arsenal.

Real Madrid winger Rodrygo has decided to snub interest from Arsenal to stay at the La Liga club for now, according to reports.

The Gunners are looking to bring in reinforcements this summer after ending a third season in a row in second place in the Premier League.

Mikel Arteta’s side failed to pick up any silverware and now the Arsenal boss and sporting director Andrea Berta are looking to improve, especially going forward.

Martin Zubimendi is one transfer that is ‘done and signed’ despite recent reports insisting that Real Madrid could still have a say in where the Real Sociedad midfielder ends up.

And it looks as if Arsenal are hoping to tie up deals for a striker and winger next with Sky Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg “totally convinced” that RB Leipzig striker Sesko will end up at the Emirates Stadium.

Plettenberg said on Sunday: “I have a very good feeling on Sesko moving to Arsenal. Meetings have already taken place. RB Leipzig are expecting the first offer from Arsenal for Benjamin Sesko next week.

“I am totally convinced Sesko will play for Arsenal next season.”

There have been many links with potential wingers over the past couple of months with Nico Williams and Rodrygo particularly heavily linked.

Reports over the weekend claimed that Arsenal are ‘willing to submit a 70 million euro [£59m] offer to try and get him away’ from Real Madrid this summer.

But now Spanish newspaper AS claim that Rodrygo ‘has decided to stay’ at Real Madrid unless it becomes clear that Xabi Alonso doesn’t want him at the club.

AS writes:

‘There were even rumors that he was more out than in the squad for the 2025-26 season.

‘The São Paulo native, however, has made a complete about-face: when everyone pointed him out as a potential sale in this summer transfer window, he has decided to stay until he sees what happens with his future. And the first few days with the change of coach are doing him phenomenal.’

Arsenal centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes has labelled Rodrygo “a phenomenon” and says he would love to have his Brazil team-mate in the Gunners side next season.

Gabriel said: “I don’t [know if he is joining] but I’d like [him to] obviously. He’s a phenomenon. I’ve told people already, he’s a phenomenon! If it was up to me, of course.”

- Joe Williams

SPAIN INTO UEFA NATIONS LEAGUE SEMI-FINAL WITH PENALTY SHOOT-OUT VICTORY OVER THE NETHERLANDS

Spain have made it into the semi-finals of the UEFA Nations League after a nervy penalty shoot-out victory over The Netherlands, which came after a 5-5 aggregate scoreline across two legs.

In Thursday’s first leg in Rotterdam, Spain found the opening goal inside the opening 10 minutes, and they did so again at the Mestalla. On this occasion, Mikel Oyarzabal was fouled inside the penalty area by Jean Paul van Hecke, and that allowed the Real Sociedad captain to step up and score from 12 yards.

La Roja would hold their lead until half time, but on 54 minutes, they were pegged back. Robin Le Normand was adjudged to have fouled Memphis Depay inside Spain’s penalty area, and that gave the opportunity for the former Barcelona and Atletico Madrid striker to score, which he managed to do.

15 minutes later, Spain would find themselves back in front, and it was Oyarzabal that scored again after he was set up following great work in the build-up from Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams on the counter-attack, which ended in the 27-year-old heading home after his initial effort was saved.

Lamine Yamal scored a wonderful goal during Spain’s 3-3 UEFA Nations League quarter-final second leg draw against The Netherlands

However, La Roja could not hold on to book their place in the Nations League semi-finals as the Dutch found another equaliser, with defender Ian Maatsen blasting past Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon from inside the penalty area to restore parity on the night and on aggregate.

That goal meant that extra time was needed at the Mestalla, and in the first half of the additional 30 minutes, Spain thought that they scored the winning goal in the tie, and it was a special one from Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal. It was a wonderful pass over the top from Dean Huijsen, and the 17-year-old controlled brilliantly before firing into the far corner. But again, they were pulled back into a stalemate as Xavi Simons netted a penalty to make it 3-3.

That meant penalties were required, and it was Unai Simon that came up clutch at the end to save Donyell Malen’s effort. That gave Pedri the chance to secure the victory for Spain, and he did, with La Roja winning 5-4 in the shoot-out. And it means that they will take on France – who also won a penalty shoot-out in their quarter-final tie against Croatia – in the semi-finals this summer, before a possible final against Portugal or Germany.

- John Menzies

NICO WILLIAMS ISSUES TWO-WORD RESPONSE TO ARSENAL AND BARCELONA TRANSFER TALK

X.com

Arsenal and Barcelona are both chasing Athletic Bilbao winger Nico Williams following his impressive performances for Spain during their victorious campaign at Euro 2024.

Nico Williams is trying not to get caught up in the speculation over his future as Barcelona and Arsenal battle for his signature.

Williams was one of the stand-out players at Euro 2024, lighting up the tournament on Spain’s left wing. The 22-year-old grabbed two goals and an assist in Germany, with one of his strikes coming in Spain’s 2-1 win over England in the final.

His performances at Euro 2024 only increased the hype around him, and with the summer transfer window open, that has not diminished. Williams has a £49million (€58m) release clause in his contract with Athletic Bilbao and both Arsenal and Barca are interested in triggering it.

Athletic Club manager Ernesto Valverde has moved to quell the excitement in his player by insisting that Williams will stay put. And the man himself seems unconcerned about his future, too. Posting a picture of a sunset from the side of a boat on his Instagram story, he simply wrote: “calm down” with a head massage emoji.

Williams came through the Athletic Club academy system and has made 122 appearances for his boyhood club, contributing 20 goals and 26 assists in all competitions. He has three years left on his contract and Valverde is convinced he knows where his heart lies.

"I have no doubts about Nico,” he said. “He looks good and happy. This year we have many challenges ahead of us and I'm sure Nico will love to face them. He hasn't been the only player who has had to live with rumours because the market will be open until the end of August.

"He's a great player and there may be clubs who might be interested in him, but he's happy with us and we're happy with him. We're counting on Nico for when he returns from the holidays."

Valverde’s sober thoughts have not calmed the incessant links with Barcelona, however. Barca players Gavi, Lamine Yamal and Alejandro Balde all commented on his most recent Instagram post which showed Williams wearing a Euro 2024 winners’ medal and an Athletic shirt and read: “From the hood to the glory. God's plan is perfect”.

Meanwhile, Barca president Joan Laporta – not one for subtlety – has already assured the club’s fans that they have the financial capability to sign him. "Economically speaking, we could commit to the signing of Nico Williams," Laporta told Catalunya Radio. "Nico's a player I like, I like him a lot.

"We are working with [coach Hansi] Flick on possible signings. Now we have to leave [sporting director] Deco to close the operations we are working on."

- Felix Keith, Sports Reporter 

SPAIN FELL BEHIND AS GAME.CHANGED; NOW THEY CAN LEAD AGAIN

 A more modern Spain side on and off the pitch won the Euro 2024 for a record-breaking fourth time Sunday and are already eyeing more success in the United States, Canada and Mexico at the 2026 World Cup.

"Champions of Europe ... and now we'll go all out for the World Cup," said Nico Williams, one of the symbols of this new-look Spain team as well as a goal scorer and the Player of the Match in the 2-1 final win over England.

Spain were the best team in Germany. They won all seven matches -- six in normal time and one in extra time -- and scored 15 goals, a new tournament high. They beat holders Italy, hosts Germany and pre-tournament favourites France and England. They did so playing a brand of football which, while there was still plenty of possession at times, has evolved under coach Luis de la Fuente in the last 18 months. A large reason for that is down to young wingers Williams, who is 22, and Lamine Yamal, who turned 17 the day before the final.

Speaking after beating England, De la Fuente praised his team for adapting to the demands of modern football. The subtext was that Spain's approach had gone stale. After winning back-to-back Euros and a World Cup between 2008 and 2012 with a possession-heavy style, a fallow period followed. The low points included a group-stage exit at the World Cup in 2014 and penalty shootout defeats to Russia and Morocco in the same competition in 2018 and 2022, respectively.

Spain had over 75% possession in both of those games and a combined 36 shots but could only muster one goal across 240 minutes of football. Breaking down teams who sat deep had become a problem. De la Fuente, who replaced Luis Enrique after that Morocco loss in 2022, said it was time to update the team's style without losing their roots.

"Football evolves, not just technically but tactically," he said. "The teams [between 2008 and 2012] coached by Luis Aragonés and Vicente del Bosque were the best of their era and were innovators.

"But now we have more versatility in our game and take advantage of the characteristics of the players that we have. We have pace on the wings, control and possession in the middle and a very solid defence -- that has given us a lot of balance in all areas of the game.

"We have caught up with the demands of modern football. It is a natural change and I think it was time to make it."

Williams and Yamal are at the centre of the shift. They combined for the opening goal against England and allow Spain to be more direct if needed. They have good in-game intelligence, too. If it's not working outside, they come inside and try their luck, especially Yamal. They often pop up on the same flank, too. That unpredictability is a huge asset to Spain.

The numbers back that up. Yamal, named the Young Player of the Tournament, was involved in five of Spain's 15 goals -- four assists and that stunning equaliser against France in the semifinal -- and Williams in three.

There are other nuances in the point De la Fuente made. The control and possession in the middle is now dealt by players with a contrasting build to Spain midfielders of the past. Rodri and Fabián Ruiz measure over 6-foot-2 and tower above Andrés Iniesta and Xavi Hernández, who were both in attendance at the Olympiastadion this past weekend, along with Spain's record scorer David Villa. The injured Pedri is more similar to Xavi and Iniesta, while other La Roja legends Sergio Busquets and Xabi Alonso are closer to Rodri and Ruiz's height, but the differences are clear.

Fundamentally, though, the idea has not changed drastically. It is a style based on technique and positioning which has brought success across men's, women's and youth football for Spain. Prior to becoming the coach of the senior side, De la Fuente won the U19 and U21 Euros. He also took the U23s to a silver medal at the Olympic Games. Nine players involved in those successes were part of the 26-man Euro 2024 squad.

Spain have also won many trophies in recent years in the women's game at youth level and that has translated into the senior game as well. La Roja are now the holders of both the men's and women's UEFA Nations League titles, the men's Euros and the Women's World Cup.

That base and understanding of the game is a large reason why they prospered in Germany without having the star names other teams had. It is why Dani Olmo slotted in brilliantly when Pedri got injured. It is why when Rodri went off at half-time against England, the walls didn't cave in because Martín Zubimendi knew what his role was. Mikel Merino and Mikel Oyarzabal, who scored the 86th-minute winner in the final, both also made big contributions off the bench.

That balance and interchangeability is behind De la Fuente's warning that this team are still hungry for more success. They beat England with Rodri injured, Pedri out and midfielder Gavi -- who was drafted in as a support act for the final as the 27th man -- missing with an ACL tear. That could be Spain's starting midfield at the World Cup in two years. Young Barça defender Pau Cubarsí, cut at the last minute from the Euros squad, will also be there if his breathtaking development continues. Williams and Yamal will be 23 and 18 when the tournament starts, respectively. Others will likely emerge.

"These players have made history and they still have a long way to go," De la Fuente said auspiciously.

The unity and makeup of the team off the pitch gives another meaning to this being a modern Spain side, too. Again, Williams and Yamal are at the heart of that. As young Black men born in Spain to immigrant parents, they have been unintentionally championed as emblems of a more diverse country.

The story of Williams' parents coming to the country from Ghana, trekking across the Sahara, is well known. Yamal, meanwhile, is the son of a Moroccan and an Equatorial Guinean who was born in Catalonia and grew up in the poor neighbourhood of Rocafonda, outside of Barcelona. His roots are stitched on his boots in the form of the national flags of his parents' homeland and the numbers 304 -- the zip code for Rocafonda.

They are now idols for kids across Spain. They wear it well. Rodri says their youthful innocence rubs off on the squad. Their dancing and joking are more akin to Brazilian football than Spanish football but has been well received by teammates and fans.

"They are two kids with no ceiling," goalkeeper Unai Simón said after the final. "They've been so important for us here, not just for what they have done on the pitch but for what they transmit to the group. I was nervous on the bus before the game and they were dancing, enjoying every moment of being able to play football. Seeing them like that relaxes you. You have to approach life like them, with joy."

It felt fitting that they combined for the opener against England.

It is a modern team in the sense that it is not dominated by Real Madrid and Barcelona, either. There were 10 different clubs represented in the Sunday's starting lineup, while regional rivalries have also been cast aside. There is a strong Basque presence in the squad and Catalan full-back Marc Cucurella, one of the revelations of the tournament and a cult hero now in Spain, set up Basque forward Oyarzabal for the clincher.

They have all been pulled together by Álvaro Morata, who may only have scored one goal in seven appearances at the Euros, but who the players respect hugely as a captain. He has also been very open about his own issues, detailing how he has struggled psychologically at times and needed help. He sought it before the tournament from Iniesta and Bojan Krkić, who experienced similar moments in their careers. "Without them, I wouldn't have been here [at Euro 2024]," Morata said Sunday.

A much more jovial Morata was on show as he MC'd Spain's celebrations back in Madrid on Monday. He won't have a voice for a week.

"Where's Jamal Musiala?" he joked as he introduced a topless Dani Carvajal, who had marked the Germany star in the quarterfinal. There were plenty of other fun moments but there was also genuine affection for his teammates as he welcomed each of them on to the stage. Winning, of course, helps foster that atmosphere, but you get the genuine feeling this Spain team became a very modern family during their six-week stay in the Black Forest in the south of Germany.

That should bode well for the future, even if they will have a target on their backs again now. Cucurella noted they benefitted from being unfancied at Euro 2024, giving them "nothing to lose," but teams will be out to beat them again now after they modernised their game to leave Germany with the Henri Delaunay Trophy.

- Sam Marsden, Barcelona correspondent

EURO 2024: SPAIN COACH HAILS HISTORY MAKERS, WARNS OF MORE TO COME

Led by a new generation, Spain won a record fourth European Championship title. Etsuo Hara/Getty Images

 BERLIN -- Coach Luis de la Fuente celebrated Spain's history makers and warned there is still more to come after they became the first team to win the European Championships four times by beating England 2-1 in Sunday's final at the Olympiastadion.

Mikel Oyarzabal struck an 86th-minute winner after Cole Palmer had cancelled out Nico Williams' opener as Spain made it seven wins from seven at Euro 2024 without needing penalties, scoring 15 goals in the process, which set a tournament record.

On route to the trophy, they had to beat holders Italy, hosts Germany and pre-tournament favourites France and England, but De la Fuente said he always believed in Spain's chances even if they were considered outsiders one month ago.

"It's not that I thought we were favourites, but I felt we were in a position to win the tournament and we have done," the Spain boss said in a news conference.

"It's hard to improve on what we have done here, but this group can keep growing because they do not tire of hard work, competing and trying to win.

"I am proud of them and happy about the excitement we have generated back home. These players have made history and they still have a long way to go."

Spain edge clear of Germany, who have won three European Championships, and have now won the tournament three times since 2008.

Midfielder Rodri -- who was forced off at half-time with an injury against England -- remembered the generation who won the competition back-to-back in 2008 and 2012 as well as a World Cup in 2010.

"What a day, probably the best of my sporting career," he told reporters. "We are the most decorated side in the European Championships.

"There has been talk about the previous generations that laid the path for us and now we are champions of Europe. It's an incredible day for everyone. We have made history.

"We have beaten four past World Cup winners along the way. The mentality of this team ... many of us have been European champions at youth level and now we are champions of Europe."

Rodri was named Player of the Tournament after the final, with teammate Lamine Yamal the Young Player of the Tournament, and there is a growing clamour for him to win the Ballon d'Or this year after also claiming the Premier League title with Manchester City.

"For me, Rodri is the best player in the world," De la Fuente said. "Give him the Ballon d'Or now, please."

The Spain coach also thanked his players for delivering a fourth European Championship in Berlin, stressing that they have always believed in him even if others had not after a defeat to Scotland in just his second match in charge in 2023 led to suggestions in the media his job was under threat.

"I was always sure that my players believed in me," he said. "For a year and a half, since I have been in charge, they have been infallible.

"The only thing that I was worried about was that the players believed in me and were convinced by what we said.

"Now it's all happiness, pride and enjoying this moment that we have earned because nobody gave us anything for free."

Spain's success this summer has been characterised by a more direct style of play. While they still enjoy plenty of possession, they are also dangerous in transition with Williams and Yamal on the wings.

The two combined for the opening goal, with Yamal registering his fourth assist of the tournament and Williams, named Player of the Match, scoring his second goal.

"We have more versatility in our game, taking advantage of the characteristics of the players that we have," De la Fuente said of the new-look La Roja.

"We have pace on the wings, control and possession in the middle and a very solid defence -- that has given us a lot of balance in all areas of the game.

"I think we have caught up with the demands of modern football. It is a natural change and I think it was time to make it."

Spain will remain in Berlin until Monday, when they will return to Madrid, where they will have an open-top bus tour through the city, ending at Cibeles Palace in the capital.

The celebrations were already underway on Sunday, though, with fans gathering across the country to watch the victory over England on big screens.

De la Fuente hopes employers will be understanding if people are late for work on Monday.

"That's how we are in Spain, it's still early for us at midnight and today there is a justified reason to go out and celebrate," he said when asked about the scenes back in his homeland.

"I am happy how it's been received in Spain. It's a day to celebrate and no employer will be upset in the morning because they will be celebrating as well."

- Sam Marsden, Barcelona correspondent

GOAL OF THE ROUND | ALIPAY | EURO 2024

 

NICO WILLIAMS | AMAZING SKILLS

YOUNG INTERNATIONAL PLAYERS THAT WILL REPRESENT GHANA.