Nico Williams nominated for 2024 ballon d'or

Athletic Club's Nico Williams keeps hitting new heights despite being just 22 years old. The winger has been nominated for the Ballon d'Or, making him our club's first ever nominee to win France Football's and UEFA's annual award for the best footballer in the world.

In 2023/24, he topped off a fantastic season, in which he won the Copa del Rey and was one of LaLiga's standout players, by leading Spain to Euro 2024 victory with some incredible performances, which included winning the man-of-the-match award and scoring the opener in the final.

This is a great recognition of our forward's ability. So far, Nico has made 126 appearances as a Lion, netting 20 times and providing countless assists.

Among the 30 nominees, only four LaLiga clubs are represented. In addition to Athletic Club there is also Real Madrid (Dani Carvajal, Jude Bellingham, Federico Valverde, Toni Kroos, Antonio Rudiger and Vinicius Jr), FC Barcelona (Lamine Yamal) and Girona (Artem Dovbyk). Nico will compete for the award with other global superstars such as Erling Haaland, Rodri and Kylian Mbappé.

Nico being nominated is a great source of pride for Athletic Club. Together with Unai Simon's nomination for the Yashin Trophy, this certifies Athletic Club's standing in the world of football and confirms that with our shirt a player can aspire to win team titles and individual awards.

Two players formed at our academy will be among the main stars at the event in Paris on October 28!