Williams Takes Spotlight as Spain Power Through to Euros Quarters

Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams (R) led the Georgia defence on a merry jig in Cologne to reach the Euro 2024 last eight. Angelos Tzortzinis / AFP
Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams (R) led the Georgia defence on a merry jig in Cologne to reach the Euro 2024 last eight. Angelos Tzortzinis / AFP
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Williams Takes Spotlight as Spain Power Through to Euros Quarters

Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams (R) led the Georgia defence on a merry jig in Cologne to reach the Euro 2024 last eight. Angelos Tzortzinis / AFP
Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams (R) led the Georgia defence on a merry jig in Cologne to reach the Euro 2024 last eight. Angelos Tzortzinis / AFP

Thanks to his tender age and illustrious club, Spain and Barcelona's teenage winger Lamine Yamal has caught the eye at Euro 2024 but on the opposite flank, Nico Williams is proving every bit as devastating.
The 21-year-old Athletic Bilbao winger has emerged as a key player for La Roja and scored a stunning goal in the 4-1 last 16 rout of Georgia on Sunday which set Spain up with a quarter-final heavyweight clash against hosts Germany, said AFP.
Newspaper Marca described Yamal and Williams as "two Ferraris" on the wings and in bright Spanish red they tore strips out of Willy Sagnol's Euros debutants to reach the quarter-finals.
"They are two very important pieces of the puzzle for us -- they infect us with that youth and innocence, that's often so important," said midfielder Rodri, whom Williams set up for Spain's equalizer after Georgia took a shock lead.
Born five years and a day before Yamal, whom he is both a friend and mentor to within the Spain camp, Williams may well get a transfer to a more high profile side this summer after his thrilling performances in Germany.
He has been on Barcelona's radar for some time and if the Catalans can make some progress financially in the coming weeks they may move for the winger to recreate Luis de la Fuente's swashbuckling Spain attack.
The joint-record three time winners are eyeing a fourth Euros triumph with Williams and Yamal's devastating pace and skill the cornerstone of their success thus far.
Williams is maturing rapidly and he said his finest Spain performance to date was in the 1-0 group stage win over Italy, but now Georgia is a new contender.
The Athletic winger shredded Italy's Giovanni Di Lorenzo repeatedly on a night where Spain could have won by far more, an early indication of the Nations League winners' strength.
While Georgia were on paper weaker opponents, the surprise package of the Euros had upset Portugal in their previous outing and kept a clean sheet, with Valencia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili repelling anything that came his way.
However even he could not keep out Williams' brilliant strike to put Spain 3-1 up in Cologne, with the forward leaving a defender for dead and then rifling into the roof of the net.
Having led Georgia's defense on a merry jig, Williams and Yamal performed a celebratory dance.
'Going to be annoying'
"Nico Williams is going to be a little annoying after his match," joked Yamal.
"I told him not to start with it because I will score in the next game."
Watching on from the stands was Williams' older brother and Athletic team-mate, Inaki, a Ghana international, who looked after him as a child when their father was working in England and their mother was doing multiple jobs in Spain.
"It's incredible that you are my brother," wrote Inaki on social media platform X after the game.
"I was so happy after scoring the goal, especially for my parents, my friends and my brother who were in the stands," explained Williams.
After the game, Williams and Yamal were seen playing a game of 'rock, paper, scissors' in a tussle for a well-deserved post match drink.
"He didn't want to give me the bottle of water and we always play a game of chance," explained Williams.
"This week he'll have to put up with me because he didn't score -- hopefully in the next game he can shut me up.
"We always give each other challenges and we work well together."
Facing Germany in the last eight is arguably the biggest match of the duo's careers but with no speed limits on the Autobahn, Spain's Ferraris are not slowing down.



Guardiola Signs 2-year Contract Extension at Man City, Eyes 'More Trophies'

(FILES) Manchester City's Spanish manager Pep Guardiola gestures on the touchline during the UEFA Champions League, league phase football match between Manchester City and Inter Milan at the Etihad stadium, in Manchester, north-west England, on September 18, 2024. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP)
(FILES) Manchester City's Spanish manager Pep Guardiola gestures on the touchline during the UEFA Champions League, league phase football match between Manchester City and Inter Milan at the Etihad stadium, in Manchester, north-west England, on September 18, 2024. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP)
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Guardiola Signs 2-year Contract Extension at Man City, Eyes 'More Trophies'

(FILES) Manchester City's Spanish manager Pep Guardiola gestures on the touchline during the UEFA Champions League, league phase football match between Manchester City and Inter Milan at the Etihad stadium, in Manchester, north-west England, on September 18, 2024. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP)
(FILES) Manchester City's Spanish manager Pep Guardiola gestures on the touchline during the UEFA Champions League, league phase football match between Manchester City and Inter Milan at the Etihad stadium, in Manchester, north-west England, on September 18, 2024. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP)

Pep Guardiola committed himself to Manchester City for another two years on Thursday and quickly set his sights on adding to his record-breaking reign.
Guardiola ended uncertainty about his future by signing a contract extension that would prolong his tenure as City manager to 11 seasons.
“I have said this many times before, but I have everything a manager could ever wish for," said the 53-year-old Catalan coach, whose current deal was due to expire at the end of this season. "Hopefully now we can add more trophies to the ones we have already won. That will be my focus.”
Guardiola has overseen a period of unprecedented dominance since joining City in 2016. He has gone on to win six Premier League titles in seven years at the Etihad Stadium and also won the Champions League. In total, he has won 15 major trophies at the club.
He has set new benchmarks, with City becoming the first team to win four-straight English league titles and the first to amass 100 points in a single season in 2018. He also led City to the treble in 2023, winning the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup in one season — matching Manchester United's achievement in 1999.
“Manchester City means so much to me. This is my ninth season here. We have experienced so many amazing times together. I have a really special feeling for this football club,” Guardiola added in his statement. “That is why I am so happy to be staying for another two more seasons.”
Publicly, Guardiola gave no indication about whether he would stay on even as he entered the final months of his contract, The Associated Press reported. That led to speculation about potential successors, but City remained hopeful he could be convinced to sign another extension.
He has already managed City for longer than any his former clubs, having spent four years at Barcelona and three at Bayern Munich.
City Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak said he was “delighted” that Guardiola is staying.
“His hunger for improvement and success remains insatiable and the direct beneficiaries of that will continue to be our players and coaching staff, the culture of our club, and the English game at large,” he said.
“This renewal will take Pep beyond a decade of coaching Manchester City and the opportunity to continue to re-write the managerial record books.”
Guardiola's new deal comes at a time when City's Premier League dominance appears to be under threat. The four-time defending champion has lost four games in succession in all competitions — the worst losing streak of Guardiola's managerial career.
Guardiola is widely considered one of the greatest managers of all time, having been a serial winner at Barcelona, Bayern and City. He has won 33 major titles with those clubs, including three Champions League trophies.