The best is yet to come as Williams lives the dream
FOR someone who has just turned 21 years of age, Neco Williams has already had an extraordinary career and indeed season. The best, however, is yet to come.
In the coming weeks, the hugely gifted Wales star could help fire his country to the World Cup, win the Championship with Fulham and watch his Liverpool colleagues celebrate a potential quadruple of Premier League title, Champions League, FA Cup and League Cup.
Williams may be watching from afar, but he’s heavily invested in anything Jurgen Klopp’s team do as well. He’s played in the Prem for them this season before going on loan to Fulham, starred in European wins over AC Milan, Atletico Madrid and Porto and also featured three times on Liverpool’s march to winning the League Cup.
Throw in a league title medal with Liverpool a couple of years back, helping Fulham win promotion just a few days ago, plus a key role in Wales’ World Cup play-off triumph over Austria, and no wonder Neco feels in football dreamland.
“I’ve won the Premier League and hopefully I can go on to win the Championship next. I have gained a lot of experience in a short amount of time. I’ve gone from starting a Champions League game against AC Milan, and beating them 2-1, to playing Barnsley, so it’s been valuable and varied experience at such a young age.
“If Wales can see this through by getting to the World Cup and Liverpool can win that quadruple, wow how incredible that would be.”
With 18 caps already to his name, Williams has the potential to become one of the Wales greats. He’s far too modest to suggest that, of course, but just look at what he offers to the national team. He can play right or left with equal aplomb, he’s quick, defends expertly, but also wows the fans with those surging runs forward to help create or score goals himself.
“I think it just happens naturally when you look at modern full-backs have developed,” he says of his swashbuckling style.
“They’re not like your standard Gary Neville kind of full-back today, I suppose, they’re more offense minded. The best around, players like Trent Alexander Arnold, Andy Robertson, Joao Cancelo of Manchester City, are like midfielders or wingers trying to get assists and score, rather than just defend. It’s an exciting role because you feel as important as any other player on the pitch.”
Indeed, having players like Neco, Harry Wilson, Dan James and Kieffer Moore, next to Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey, of course, is what gives Wales an even greater cutting edge than Chris Coleman’s Euro rampaging side, thus offering real hope that the Class of 2022 can qualify for the World Cup after the agonising failures of so many of their predecessors.
An epic night awaits on June 5 against either Scotland or the Ukraine at the same Cardiff City Stadium venue where two Gareth Bale goals against Austria set up a mouthwatering play-off final.
You sense Neco can’t wait.
“It’s always amazing when we’re playing there in front of our own fans, but that game was on another level again,” he says of the Austria win.
“The fans singing the anthem is a moment I will always remember, their backing throughout the match. When we’re playing out there we feel like the Welsh fans are our 12th man. That gives us the boost to go on and win these big games.
“These are the matches we look forward to, every single one of us dreams of going to the World Cup. We’re 100 per cent aware of what’s gone on before, how many years it is since Wales qualified, so it would be a massive achievement.
“World Cups don’t come around that often so we need to take our chance and do everything we can to qualify - not just for ourselves and the staff, but for the the whole Welsh nation. We’ve got one job out of the way so far, beating Austria, and we’ve got the final to go.
“It’ll be one of the biggest games in everyone’s career, one match away from reaching the World Cup. We know it’s going to be hard, Ukraine and Scotland are great teams in their own right with world class players, but I feel we have the self belief, confidence, chemistry and bond to go on and win that game.
“The fact that we’re at home again is a massive factor. We know 30,000plus Welsh fans inside that stadium, indeed an entire nation, will be fully behind us, being incredibly loud, motivating us to go on and win. We want to give it back to those fans, put a smile on their faces. And hopefully if we do qualify it will help inspire others to get playing football.”
That last bit is a subject close to Williams, who spoke to WalesOnline moments after making his debut at a McDonald’s Fun Football session. McDonald’s is giving thousands of youngsters aged 5-11 the chance to start their football journey and make their Fun Football debuts across 21 centres in Wales.
“It was just brilliant seeing so many youngsters, girls and boys, playing, running around, laughing, and enjoying their football. The free sessions are run all over the county and making football more accessible can only be a good thing for the future of Welsh football,” he says.
It’s not so far back that Neco was the age of the very youngsters he’s been coaching, but an awful lot has happened during the intervening years.
It started in earnest in October 2019 when Williams made his Liverpool debut, a League Cup game against Arsenal when he had an immediate impact by setting up a last-gasp Divock Origi equaliser in a 5-5 draw, before Jurgen Klopp’s men went on to win on penalties.
He reflects: “A few days before we started doing shape work in training and I seemed to be in the starting XI in that. So I had an idea but no-one told me and I was just thinking to myself ‘This can’t be true?’
“Then Klopp came up to me and said ‘You’re starting tomorrow’. Before the game he also gave me a little pep talk, saying ‘Listen, don’’t
worry about it. You’ll probably be nervous, but that will stop when that whistle goes and you’ll be completely fine’. And that’s exactly what happened, as soon the whistle went I just completely focussed on the game.
“It wasn’t an easy debut, I guess. Some players might make their debuts in the last five or 10 minutes of a match. Mine was starting versus Arsenal at Anfield, in front of 55,000 fans. It will always be a night I remember, but to win and progress through to the next round made it even more special.
“As, I suppose, is the fact that I set up that goal for Origi. At the Kop end too, in about the 94th minute it was that we equalised. What a moment. Because it was my debut, I never stopped running that night. Yet as soon as I crossed that ball in I remember getting cramp pretty much everywhere. So it was just as well he scored that goal because I wasn’t going to be able to get back again to defend! Actually, I thought the game was going to extra time so was taking salts and gels as much as I could to prepare myself for that. Then I heard one of my teammates say it was going straight to penalties - I was quite glad!”
Enough Premier League appearances quickly followed for Williams to win a medal as Liverpool stormed to the title, the following season he made his Wales debut in FInland, scored the winner versus Bulgaria three days after, played in the Euros and Champions League.
This season, after eight Liverpool appearances, he was loaned out by Klopp to Fulham - and has instantly helped the Cottagers win promotion to the Premier.
“I’m at the age where I just want to be playing week in week out and I need that experience. That was the main thing in January when Fulham were interested,” he says. “To play regularly is great, to be promoted makes it even sweeter and hopefully we’ll make it even better by winning the league.
“It’s been a great loan, I will be going back to Liverpool in the summer feeling like a more mature player - and definitely an improved player. And getting promoted is a nice one to put on the CV, too!”
Whilst shining for Fulham and Wales though, Williams keeps a close eye on what is happening at Anfield, where Trent Alexander Arnold and Andy Robertson currently stand in his way of a place in Klopp’s first team. Those two, of course, are world class talents - the Liverpool boss certainly has riches in the full-back department.
“I’ve been keeping in touch. I’m closer to the younger lads and when they see me scoring they send me little jokes, we have a bit of banter as I’m not known for my goals. One of the assistant coaches texted congratulating me on the promotion, which was nice,” he says.
“I don’t know yet where I will be playing next season. I’m focussing on getting this year done, get the Wales games over in June and we’ll see what happens then. If that’s either staying at Liverpool, or if it’s going out on loan again, I’m not entirely sure at this stage.
“I’ve been at Liverpool since I was six and you always want to play for the team you grew up with. But I know it’s not going to be easy. Trent is only 23 himself, for me he’s the best right-back in the world. I watch him in games and training and try to learn as much as possible from him.
“Trent and Andy are incredible players who have been doing it for years. So it’s always going to be tough trying to get into that team and be a regular starter. However, the key thing for me is just improving every day, taking in as much information off players and staff as possible and trying to put it into my own game.”
Which brings use nicely onto a certain Mr Klopp. What does he say to Neco? What makes him so special as a manager? “He’s just football mad. Everything with him is football. It’s incredible how he has connected with the Liverpool fans and bonded the players to make the team closer, the fans closer. It’s always an extra bonus to have that chemistry, as we see with Wales,” says Williams.
“He’s always encouraging me, says his door’s always open. When you need a chat he’s free to speak to you and crucially he always gives you honest answers. He tells me what I need to do to improve my game, explains what’s going to be happening with me. Trust me, training under Klopp you can only improve as a player. Each day and every day I get taught by him, I grasp as much info from him as possible.
“Obviously, he is one of the best managers in the world. You see it with what Liverpool are doing and what he’s done with players to transform them into who they are today. Look at the players he has bought in and how he has improved them. Phenomenal.
To think they’re chasing the quadruple! It would be a truly massive achievement if they can pull that off.”
Liverpool are understandably fabulous as far as Williams is concerned, but we started this chat with Wales and we must end it with Wales, given what is just around the corner. There is important club football to be dealing with before June comes around, but already that World Cup play-off final is on the radar.
“It means absolutely everything to play for the badge on the shirt. Every time you step out onto the pitch in that shirt is exciting,” says Williams. “I’ve always had the Wales kits when I was little and to be able to wear one of the senior ones these days is an incredible feeling.
“It’s even more special because my mates support different clubs, but whatever happens they are each Wales fans so they can watch the game together and support me.
“Given the age I’m at, I’ve already gained a lot of experience, won a few medals so far. Hopefully there will be more to come - as well as the main aim of playing in a World Cup.”
Neco Williams is encouraging youngsters aged 5-11 to make their grassroots debuts this spring. The free sessions, led by FAW accredited coaches, are tailored to all abilities, and designed to help make football more accessible to everyone. Supporting and encouraging participation is the foundation of McDonald’s 20-year commitment to grassroots football in Wales . Sign up to your nearest free McDonald’s Fun Football session now at mcdonalds.co.uk/football