23-year-old Welsh professional footballer, Neco Williams is one of the youngest players in the Wales national team that helped the country to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup after 64 years. He currently plies his trade in the English top flight with Nottingham Forest, a club he joined in July 2022 after raising through the youth ranks of Liverpool and a short loan stint at Fulham.
Here is what we have been able to gather about The Dragons of Wales defender.
Check These Fascinating Facts About Neco Williams
1. The 23-Year-Old Welsh Defender Hails from Wrexham
Neco Willams was born Neco Shay Williams on April 13, 2001, in Cefn Mawr, Wrexham, Wales to Lee Williams and Emma Jones. He is one out of Five children in his family; with a brother, Keelan, and three sisters; Taya, Sarae, and Ocea.
Neco grew up with his siblings and he and two of his siblings (Keelan and Ocea) were interested in football and usually played together.
2. Neco Comes From a Family of Footballers
Neco Williams’ parents were once local footballers who played in local teams within their community during their high school days. His Mother played as a right-back in the women’s team, while his father was engaged locally for Cefn United.
Moreso, Neco’s grandfather, Kelvin Jones who on died on November 20, 2022, was a footballer, but injuries ended his career prematurely.
His younger brother is also a professional footballer. He plays for Burnley FC U21 at the time of this writing.
2. His Mother Runs a Dance School in His Native Town
Neco’s Family owns a Dance school, Dance Zone Academy in Cefn that is handled by his mother. The school was founded in 1997.
The Academy is a professional one that teaches freestyle dance and accepts children from the age of 2 to any age. Moreso, the academy is known to have competed all over the Uk and has had successful dancers.
3. Williams’ Football Career Started at Liverpool When He was 6
At the age of 6, Neco was scouted by Liverpool and signed into the Academy.
While at the academy, he progressed through the youth team playing for the U18, U19, U23, and even in the UEFA Youth League before playing for Liverpool. Subsequently, he was loaned to Fulham in January 2022 and returned in May, and was signed by Nottingham Forest in July.
Moving forward, Neco played for Wales’ under-19 team between 2018 and 2022. He was called to the Senior team in August 2020 and made his professional debut on 3 September 2020 during UEFA Nations League. Also, he was selected to play in the UEFA Euro 2020 tournament in 2021.
He was part of the squad that helped the Welsh national team to qualify for the FIFA World Cup 2022 for the first time in 64 years.
4. A Stress Fracture Kept Him Out of Action During the 2017/18 Campaign
In the rise of William’s career, the footballer had a serious fracture in his back that kept him on the sidelines for months, making him miss the rest of the 2017- 2018 season. He returned in 2019, to play in the FA Youth Cup, and was Part of the squad that defeated Man City during the match.
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6. He Has an Estimated Net worth of $1.5 Million
Neco Williams’s exact income from his current club hasn’t been confirmed at the time of this writing, So this estimation is based on his previous salary, contract, and endorsement deal.
According to Spotrac.com, Williams was earning about £1.3 million ($1.5 million) per year since he started featuring for Liverpool’s first team in January 2020. If this is anything to go by, it means the Welsh defender earned roughly £2.6 million ($3 million) for the two years he spent with the Anfield outfit before his reported £17 million July 2022 move to Nottingham Forest.
In addition to his football earnings, Neco is a Puma ambassador whose endorsement deal with the German sportswear brand, Puma could fetch him a decent amount.
7. The Welsh Athlete is Tall
Neco Williams is 6 feet 0 inches (1.83m) tall. As a defender of this height, Williams can comfortably fight for balls in the air and can easily block shots that come from free and corner kicks. Moreover, he is 10cm below his fellow defender and national teammate, Joe Rodon who is the tallest defender in the Wales national team with a height of 6 feet 3 inches (1.93m).
At 23, Neco Williams has enough time to show the world his talent as a defender. He can achieve milestones just like his fellow compatriots, Mark Hughes, Ryan Giggs, and Gareth Bale.
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