Europa League: Rangers v Athletic Bilbao – Nico Williams is key man

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Europa League quarter-final, first leg: Rangers v Athletic Bilbao

Venue: Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow Date: Thursday, 10 April Kick-off: 20:00 BST

Coverage: Listen on BBC Radio Scotland Extra & Sounds, plus follow live text commentary on the BBC Sport website & app

When Nico Williams led England a merry dance on a balmy summer's night in Berlin last July, it capped the season of his dreams. Now he is determined to do similar damage to Rangers and keep Athletic Bilbao on course for their first European trophy.

In the space of 100 days, Williams produced two showpiece man-of-the-match performances.

First, he helped end Bilbao's four-decade wait for silverware, then he opened the scoring for Spain in the German capital as his country won their fourth European Championship title.

Fans and the game's biggest clubs across the continent gazed lovingly at this football maverick, who exploded onto the scene a few seasons ago but whose stock has risen 10-fold in the past 12 months.

That ascent began with his role in winning last year's Copa Del Rey, Athletic Club's first success since a league and cup double in 1984.

Born in Pamplona, Williams regularly acknowledges the life he has been afforded came despite his parents' struggles in Ghana before they fled for Spain.

After placing his Euro 2024 winners' medal round his mother's neck, he said: "I run fast, but not as fast as my mother. She escaped death and crossed the Sahara from Ghana to Spain. I gave her my medal because she deserves it more."

It seems that the humble Williams will have his pick when it comes to his next club, with Arsenal the latest to be heavily linked with his services.

Not that he is in a rush to leave Bilbao. They are his club.

"I was the first one to cry, you can't even imagine what this feels like," he said after their historic Spanish Cup win against Mallorca in Seville's Cartuja.

"It's a dream to win with the club of my life," he said.

For the club it was monumental, coming after no fewer than seven straight cup final defeats, including in the 2012 Europa League.

The coronavirus pandemic meant they wrote unwanted history in 2021, losing two Copa del Rey finals in the space of two weeks to Basque rivals Real Sociedad and then Barcelona.

Making their eventual success all the sweeter for Williams was the fact his older brother Inaki – who represents the country of his parents – was alongside him in the Bilbao team.

With Bilbao hosting this season's Europa League final at the impressive Estadio San Mames, the Williams brothers are doubly determined to brush Rangers aside and take a big step closer to the reality of winning the trophy on their own patch.

As Jose Mourinho was at pains to point out as he gazed upon the burning ashes of Fenerbahce's shoot-out defeat at Ibrox, Athletic Club are big favourites to move into a semi-final against Lyon or Manchester United.

With Nico and Inaki, who have both scored five Europa League goals this season, on the flanks, manager Ernesto Valverde has potency at the top of the pitch in addition to the joint-best defence in La Liga at his disposal.

"This title is unlike any other," said Valverde – in his third spell in charge of the club – when they lifted the Copa del Rey.

However they could top that in six weeks' time.

Having overcome Roma in the last 16, the former Barcelona and Olympiacos coach is determined to build on last season's cup win with another trophy.

Champions League football next season is also within sight with the club sitting fourth in the Spanish top flight.

Nico's Spain team-mate Oihan Sancet, their top scorer in the league this season, has made a timely return to the fold after a thigh problem. He made a cameo appearance from the bench during their goalless draw at Villareal on Sunday.

That was a second stalemate in succession, but one which prevented their closest challengers for that final La Liga Champions League spot from making up ground.

Spain's number one Unai Simon will sit Thursday's game out as Athletic Club's number two Julen Agirrezabala plays in their European matches.

However, you realise that is not a big downgrade when you see the crucial saves he made against Mallorca – including in the penalty shoot-out that decided the King's Cup's destination a year ago.

There are doubts over the fitness of centre-back Aitor Paredes but Valverde is hopeful he will take his usual position beside the rock-solid Dani Vivian at the heart of the Bilbao backline.

Rangers may take a degree of optimism from the fact Bilbao are not in red-hot form though. They have won two of their last seven games and scored just once in their last three.

However, this is a step up in class for Barry Ferguson's men and, thanks largely to the Williams brothers, The Lions have rediscovered their roar.

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