Neco Williams

Not to be confused with Nico Williams.

Neco Williams

Williams with Wales at the 2022 FIFA World Cup
Personal information
Full name	Neco Shay Williams[1]
Date of birth	(2001-04-13) 13 April 2001 (age 23)[2]
Place of birth	Cefn Mawr, Wales[3]
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[4]
Position(s)	Full-back[5]
Team information
Current team	Nottingham Forest
Number	7
Youth career
–2007	Cefn United
2007–2019	Liverpool
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2019–2022	Liverpool	13	(0)
2022	→ Fulham (loan)	14	(2)
2022–	Nottingham Forest	62	(1)
International career^‡
2018–2020	Wales U19[2]	8	(4)
2020–	Wales	40	(4)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 15:48, 22 September 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:32, 9 September 2024 (UTC)

Neco Shay Williams (born 13 April 2001) is a Welsh professional footballer who plays as a full-back for Premier League club Nottingham Forest and the Wales national team.

Williams started out with Cefn United at age six, with him later joining Liverpool in 2007, making 31 total appearances for their first team in 15 years. He was loaned out to Fulham in January 2022, with him joining Nottingham Forest permanently later that year.

Born in Cefn Mawr, Williams represents Wales at senior level. Williams was a member of the Wales squad that qualified for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, becoming the first to do so since 1958.

Early life

Neco Williams was born in Cefn Mawr, Wales. He is the second child of Lee Williams, a former footballer for Cefn United and Emma Jones, a dance teacher.^[6][7] At age six, Williams joined the youth system of Cefn United, originally starting out as a striker. After a tournament in Gresford, Williams was sought after by Manchester United, Everton, and Liverpool, with the latter signing him in 2007.^[8]

Club career

Liverpool

Williams playing for Liverpool U19 in 2019

Williams represented Liverpool at U18, U19 and U23 level.^[9][10][11] He suffered a serious back injury which ruled him out for most of the 2017–18 season, but recovered his place to feature in the club's victorious FA Youth Cup campaign two years later.^[12]

Williams' form at youth level was rewarded when, on 30 October 2019, he made his debut for the senior side, starting in a 5–5 (5–4) penalty shoot-out win over Arsenal in the EFL Cup. He featured prominently in the match and recorded a last-minute assist for Divock Origi's goal to send the match to penalties, where Liverpool emerged victorious.^[13][14] In December, he was included in Liverpool's squad which won the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup, although he was an unused substitute in both of the club's matches in the competition.^[15]

Following the turn of the year, he starred in a team largely made up of teenagers and reserves that defeated Merseyside rivals Everton in the FA Cup 3rd round, and Shrewsbury Town in the 4th round replay, forcing an own goal from Ro-Shaun Williams in the latter fixture to secure his side's progression in the competition.^[16][17] In the match against Shrewsbury, Williams was also part of a starting line-up that was the youngest in Liverpool's history, with an average age of 19 years and two days.^[18] His Premier League debut followed on 24 June 2020, shortly after campaign resumed following a three-month long suspension caused by the COVID-19 outbreak, when he featured as a 74th-minute substitute in a 4–0 win over Crystal Palace.^[19] Williams would go on to make enough appearances to secure his league winners' medal,^[20] becoming the fifth Welsh player to win the Premier League.^[21] A few weeks later on 17 August, he signed a new long-term deal with the Reds.^[22]

Loan to Fulham

On 31 January 2022, Williams joined Championship club Fulham on loan until the end of the 2021–22 season.^[23] He scored the first senior club goals of his career when he scored twice in a 5–1 win over Swansea City on 8 March 2022.^[24]

Nottingham Forest

Williams signed for newly promoted Premier League club Nottingham Forest on 10 July 2022 on a four-year contract for a fee reported to be around £17 million.^[25][26] On 22 April 2023, Williams scored his first goal for the club in a 3-2 away loss against his former club Liverpool.^[27]

International career

Eligible to represent England through his grandparents, Williams has represented Wales at U19 level.^[28][29] In August 2020 he was called into the senior Wales squad for the first time.^[30] Williams made his Wales debut in a 1–0 UEFA Nations League win over Finland on 3 September 2020.^[31] He scored his first goal for the senior team on 6 September 2020 against Bulgaria in the UEFA Nations League, scoring the winning goal in a 1–0 victory for Wales.^[32] In May 2021 he was selected for the Wales squad for the delayed UEFA Euro 2020 tournament.^[33]

Williams helped Wales qualify for the FIFA World Cup in 2022 for the first time since 1958.^[34] In November 2022 he was named in the Wales squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.^[35]

Personal life

Williams has a younger brother, Keelan Williams,^[36] who plays for Denbigh Town, he also played for the Liverpool youth team, as well as Burnley's U18 and U21 sides. Neco also has an older sister Taya Williams and two younger sisters Sarae Williams and Ocea Williams.^[37] His father's family is from Porthmadog.^[8]

Williams' maternal grandfather, Kelvin Jones, died in November 2022, the day before Williams started in Wales' opening game of the World Cup; he revealed the loss after game, dedicating his performance to Jones.^[38][39]

He attended Ysgol Rhiwabon in Ruabon.^[40] A mural of Williams was erected in his home village of Cefn Mawr.^[40]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 22 September 2024

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			FA Cup		EFL Cup		Europe		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Liverpool U21	2019–20[41]	—	—		—		—		—		2[a]	2	2	2
Liverpool	2019–20[41]	Premier League	6	0	4	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	11	0
	2020–21[42]	Premier League	6	0	1	0	2	0	4[b]	0	1[c]	0	14	0
	2021–22[43]	Premier League	1	0	0	0	4	0	3[b]	0	—		8	0
	Total		13	0	5	0	7	0	7	0	1	0	33	0
Fulham (loan)	2021–22[43]	Championship	14	2	1	0	—		—		—		15	2
Nottingham Forest	2022–23[44]	Premier League	31	1	1	0	4	0	—		—		36	1
	2023–24[45]	Premier League	26	0	5	0	1	0	—		—		32	0
	2024–25[46]	Premier League	5	0	0	0	1	0	—		—		6	0
	Total		62	1	6	0	6	0	—		—		74	1
Career total			89	3	12	0	13	0	7	0	3	2	124	5

1. Appearances in EFL Trophy
2. Appearances in UEFA Champions League
3. Appearance in FA Community Shield

International

As of match played 9 September 2024^[47]

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Wales	2020	6	1
	2021	11	1
	2022	9	0
	2023	10	1
	2024	4	1
Total		40	4

As of match played 9 September 2024

Wales' score listed first, score column indicates score after each Williams goal^[47]

List of international goals scored by Neco Williams

No.	Date	Venue	Cap	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	6 September 2020	Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff, Wales	2	Bulgaria	1–0	1–0	2020–21 UEFA Nations League B
2	13 November 2021	Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff, Wales	16	Belarus	2–0	5–1	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
3	21 November 2023	Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff, Wales	35	Turkey	1–0	1–1	UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying
4	21 March 2024	Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff, Wales	37	Finland	2–0	4–1	UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying

Honours

Liverpool Youth

• FA Youth Cup: 2018–19^[48]

Liverpool

• Premier League: 2019–20^[49]
• FIFA Club World Cup: 2019^[50]

Fulham

• EFL Championship: 2021–22^[51]

References

1. "FIFA Club World Cup Qatar 2019: List of Players: Liverpool FC" (PDF). FIFA. 5 December 2019. p. 7. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 December 2019. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
2. "N. Williams: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
3. "'For you, grandad': Neco Williams played for Wales day after grandfather died". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
4. "Neco Williams". Fulham F.C. Archived from the original on 28 June 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
5. "Neco Williams: Player Info". Nottingham Forest. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
6. Richards, Matthew (8 November 2022). "World Cup: Neco Williams' family ready for 'dream' tournament". BBC. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
7. Robinson, Joe (25 June 2021). "Neco Williams: Charting the rise of the Wrexham-born Wales star". The Advertizer. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
8. O'Neill, Caoimhe. "'Dear Neco, we will always be proud of you. So just enjoy every second of it because you are living your dream, love Mum and Dad x'". The Athletic. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
9. Jones, Neil (30 October 2019). "Neco Williams set to make Liverpool debut in Carabao Cup tie against Arsenal". Goal.com. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
10. Vincet, Gareth (15 November 2019). "Neco Williams: Wales youngster aims to seize Liverpool chance". BBC Sport. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
11. Bekker, Liam (31 October 2019). "Who Is Neco Williams, Liverpool's Latest Academy Graduate?". Soccer Laduma. Archived from the original on 26 June 2020. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
12. Batte, Kathryn (28 October 2019). "Meet Neco Williams – Liverpool youngster described by Steven Gerrard as 'magnificent' in contention for Arsenal clash". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
13. Krishnan, Joe (30 October 2019). "Liverpool 5–5 Arsenal: Liverpool win penalty shootout after 10-goal thriller at Anfield". London Evening Standard. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
14. Williams, Sam (31 October 2019). "Neco Williams: Anfield debut a dream come true". Liverpool F.C. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
15. Poole, Harry (21 December 2019). "Flamengo 0–1: Roberto Firmino's extra-time strike delivers first Club World Cup for Liverpool". BBC Sport. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
16. "Klopp's teenagers and reserves serve Ancelotti with a painful reality-check". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
17. Williams, Sam (4 February 2020). "Neco Williams: That was a special night for all of us". Liverpool F.C. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
18. Bekker, Liam (5 February 2020). "Three Liverpool Records Broken in One Night". Soccer Laduma. Archived from the original on 7 February 2020. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
19. "Liverpool 4–0 Crystal Palace: Reds move within two points of league title". BBC Sport. 24 June 2020. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
20. Ellis, Callum (11 July 2020). "Neco Williams set for Premier League medal after fifth league appearance". Y Clwb Pêl-Droed. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
21. "Every Welsh Player To Win The Premier League | Football Stories". 27 February 2023. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
22. "Neco Williams signs new long-term contract with Liverpool FC". Liverpool F.C. 17 August 2020. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
23. "Williams Arrives On Loan". Fulham F.C. 31 January 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
24. "Swansea 1–5 Fulham". BBC Sport. 8 March 2022. Retrieved 9 March 2022.
25. "Forest secure Wales international Williams". Nottingham Forest F.C. 10 July 2022. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
26. Winehouse, Amitai (13 July 2022). "Forest confirm £17m Williams signing from Liverpool". The Athletic. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
27. SoccerwayPlayer Profile: Neco Williams
28. "Neco Williams: Profile". worldfootball.net. HEIM:SPIEL. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
29. "Neco Williams urged to "commit" to Wales with England waiting in the wings". This is Anfield. 18 August 2020. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
30. "Wales call up Liverpool's Williams". BBC Sport.
31. "Finland vs. Wales – 3 September 2020". Soccerway.
32. "Wales vs. Bulgaria – Football Match Stats – September 6, 2020". ESPN. 6 September 2020. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
33. "Uncapped Colwill in Wales Euro 2020 squad". BBC Sport.
34. UEFA.com. "Wales-Ukraine | European Qualifiers 2022". UEFA. Retrieved 14 June 2022.
35. 2022 Wales World Cup squad
36. "SIGNED | Keelan Williams Signs for Denbigh".
37. Coleman, Tom; Trim, Liam (12 June 2021). "'That's our little boy' - parents pen emotional letter to Euros star". North Wales Live. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
38. "World Cup 2022: Neco Williams played after suffering family bereavement". BBC Sport. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
39. "Liverpool players rally as Neco Williams reveals heartache behind World Cup debut". This is Anfield. 22 November 2022. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
40. "Neco Williams' family left amazed by mural which now sits proudly in his home village". The Leader. 23 December 2022. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
41. "Games played by Neco Williams in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
42. "Games played by Neco Williams in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
43. "Games played by Neco Williams in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
44. "Games played by Neco Williams in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
45. "Games played by Neco Williams in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
46. "Games played by Neco Williams in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
47. "Neco Williams". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
48. "Liverpool crowned FA Youth Cup winners after beating Manchester City on penalties". The Daily Telegraph. 25 April 2019. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
49. "Neco Williams: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
50. "Liverpool FC 1–0 CR Flamengo: Line-ups". FIFA. Archived from the original on 15 November 2020.
51. "Championship: 2021/22: Current table". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
    "Fulham: Squad details: 2021/22". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 9 May 2022.

External links

• Neco Williams at the Nottingham Forest F.C. website
• Neco Williams at Premier League
• Neco Williams – UEFA competition record (archive)

/ref>

Following the turn of the year, he starred in a team largely made up of teenagers and reserves that defeated Merseyside rivals Everton in the FA Cup 3rd round, and Shrewsbury Town in the 4th round replay, forcing an own goal from Ro-Shaun Williams in the latter fixture to secure his side's progression in the competition.