Nico Williams grabbed a goal for Athletic Bilbao in their 3-1 defeat to Atletico Madrid in La Liga on Saturday night, after being racially abused by the fans at the Wanda Metropolitano during the game.
Rodrigo De Paul grabbed the opener for the hosts on the day, then the match officials stopped the game for two minutes due to racist chants from Atletico Madrid fans towards Nico Williams in the first half, with anti-racist messages announced over the stadium.
Minutes later, the 21-year-old grabbed the equaliser for Bilbao on the night and pointed to his skin colour in front of Atletico fans, silencing the Wanda Metropolitano before the end of the first half.
💪🏿 Ice in his veins!
😎 @willliamsssnico 👊🏿#AtletiAthletic #LaLigaHighlights 🦁 pic.twitter.com/vUf5ISR5IQ
— Athletic Club (@Athletic_en) April 27, 2024
Atletico Madrid however managed to bounce back strong in the second 45 minutes with a goal from Angel Correa, with an own goal from Bilbao goalkeeper Unai Simon, ending the game in a 3-1 win.
Nico Williams, like Vinicius Jr, now joins a list of players who have suffered racist abuse in Europe, particularly in La Liga and at the Wanda Metropolitano.
Williams now has 11 goal contributions to his name in La Liga, (three goals and eight assists), and has a huge summer ahead of him, as a move away from Bilbao looks more realistic by the day.