Nico Williams explains why ‘crazy’ success hasn’t changed Lamine Yamal – with Athletic Club star taking on big brother role with Barcelona wonderkid

Williams is only 22 years of age, but that makes him a seasoned veteran compared to international team-mate Yamal. The talented teenager savoured Euro 2024 glory with Spain the day after his 17th birthday, having made a senior breakthrough in Catalunya at the age of 15.

Yamal and Williams starred for La Roja as a continental crown was captured on German soil, with the pair striking up quite the friendship. Williams has told El Mundo of that bond: “We laugh a lot. I think it's obvious that we have the same or very similar personalities and we like the same things. He's a kid that I get along with really well and I always try to give him as much advice as possible, like my brother Inaki has done with me. He's in a great place and he's a world star at 17 years old. It's crazy. Everything that goes well for Lamine makes me happy. He's a great player who's still maturing and I think he has no limits if he keeps doing things the way he's done up until now. He's a kid who, on top of that, hasn't changed at all with success. He's still the same person and I'm really happy to have him as a friend.”

Yamal is not the only international colleague that Williams now considers to be part of his sporting family, with the Athletic Club forward adding on an emotional summer: “The camaraderie and lifelong friends I took away from there. More than I expected at the beginning, to be honest. You spend 44 days with the same people, with similar experiences and ways of seeing life, and in the end you get along.”

There has been talk of Yamal and Williams being reunited at club level, with Barcelona eager to bring another exciting playmaker into their ranks. Said interest has been shunned for now, but a big-money transfer appears destined to form part of Williams’ short-term future.