A seemingly inconspicuous moment on the pitch turned out to be key to Spain's triumph at the World Cup last summer. In an interview with “Football Emotion“ winger Nico Williams revealed a curious detail about Ferran Torres' decisive goal that secured the second world title for "La Roja“.
The Athletic Bilbao player shared that he received unexpected help from opposing defender Nauel Molina right when Pedro Poro crossed. The push gave him the momentum he needed to reach the ball and direct it towards Ferran.
“People probably didn't notice, but if he hadn't pushed me, I wouldn't have gotten to the ball in a thousand lives. As the ball was falling, he pushed me and pushed me with both hands. Before that, I thought I had no chance, but after the kick I said to myself, I'm going to make it. I didn't have time to shoot straight at goal, so I just deflected it. Ferran came and scored it“, Williams recalled.
The striker also spoke about the difficult period before the championship, marked by physical problems and uncertainty. In March, he underwent conservative treatment in Pamplona and England, while receiving full support from coach Luis de la Fuente, who assured him that he was counting on him as long as his recovery was successful.
As the end of the club season approached, Williams entered an excellent form, scoring two goals against Alaves, which was followed by another encouraging conversation with the coach. Just then, however, a new concern arose - an injury to the back of the thigh, which threatened to sideline him for a month. Medical examinations subsequently proved more favorable than expected and allowed him to recover in just two weeks.
During the preparation period, Williams followed a special off-ball recovery plan along with Lamine Yamal, who was suffering from a similar problem, and Victor Muñoz. Despite the hardships and difficult pace, the efforts of the medical staff yielded results just in time for the tournament.
The tests for the winger did not stop in the World Cup itself. In the clash against Uruguay, Williams suffered a painful blow after a pass into the corridor from Cucu. Since the team had already made all its substitutions, and the score was 1-0 to the Spaniards, the striker decided to stay on the field and grit his teeth in the last ten minutes.
After the difficult match in Guadalajara, where Jeremy Pino also ended up with an injury, both were placed on a special recovery regimen until the end of the championship. In the end, Nico Williams returned to the field to record a historic assist, reminiscent of Cesc Fabregas' pass to Andrés Iniesta in the 2010 final - a detail that will forever remain in the history of Spanish football.