LEGEND WILLIAMS GIVING BACK
HE joined Swansea on loan by signing the contract on his car bonnet, before rushing upstairs to fax the paperwork minutes before
the transfer deadline.
When his burning ambition was concealed in the long grass of non-League Hednesford Town, he took jobs as “the worst waiter in history” at a steak diner, a petrol pump attendant, and running a funfair sideshow at Drayton Manor Theme Park to make ends meet.
But when Ashley Williams retired 12 weeks ago, after 671 games spread across all four divisions and 86 caps for Wales, peaking in a fairy-tale run to the Euro 2016 semi-finals, he was a captain, leader and legend fulfilled.
Now he wants to give something back to the game – starting with an initiative to deliver a million hours of free coaching to kids of the lockdown generation.
At 36, Williams hopes promotionchasing Swans will regain Premier League status – where he took them back in 2011. And he believes Wales could unfurl an encore to rival the giddy night five years ago when they toppled Belgium (left, celebrating his opener), then ranked No.2 in the world, and Ruud Gullit climbed out of the crowd to congratulate him.
Not bad for the waiter who only spilled the beans if he was in too much of a hurry to serve dinner.
Williams, an ambassador for the McDonald’s Fun Football programme, said: “I remember my kids coming down to the pitch and doing an interview with the BBC’s Dan Walker holding on to them, and everyone is pulling you all over the place when you just want to celebrate with your team-mates.
“Then, as I’m telling myself to take it all in, out of the corner of my eye I spot a guy coming down from the stands, excited to see me even though I don’t know him – and it’s Ruud Gullit.
“This is one of my boyhood heroes, who I’ve idolised since forever, he’s captained Holland when they won the Euros with Marco van Basten and all those greats, and he’s making a beeline for me to say, ‘Well done, what an unbelievable performance’.
“And I’m stood there thinking, ‘This is Ruud Gullit, who achieved everything I wanted to be as a footballer...’. The whole thing was a daydream, a glorious daydream.
“To reach that moment, I took the long way round, the scenic route, playing non-League and doing odd jobs where you had to clock in by getting your card punched.
“To captain Wales in the semifinals of the Euros is a bit sweeter when you have been the worst waiter in history at a Beefeater restaurant or working at a petrol station.
“I could never have seen it coming, but it’s a nice message for kids now – it’s never too late to make your dreams come true.
“You don’t have to be Phil Foden and stand out from the crowd from a young age, which is difficult in its own way. If you’ve got the desire and you’re willing to ride out a few storms, you can still make it.”
Although Wales have been drawn in a tough group with Italy, Turkey and Switzerland at this summer’s Euros, they can still call on the genius of Gareth Bale.
Williams added: “His quality is still there. We saw it in the last game (v Czech Republic), when he linked up with Dan James, another one who has the X factor about him.” Wales will play world champions France in a pre-Euro friendly in Nice on June 2.
The game will take place at the Stade Allianz Riviera three days before Wales’ final warmup match ahead of the Euros, at home in Cardiff to Albania.
“The pre-Euro friendlies are scheduled to be played behind closed doors,” said the FA of Wales.
“And supporters will be notified should tickets become available.”