Spain’s Nico Williams on injury: One of worst days of my life

Spain winger Nico Williams expressed his dismay after suffering an injury during the match against Uruguay on Friday, describing it as “one of the worst days of my life.” This setback puts his participation in the FIFA World Cup 2026 in doubt.

The defending European champions secured a 1-0 victory over Uruguay, topping Group H. However, the match raised significant injury concerns for Williams and teammate Yéremy Pino.

Injury Concerns

Williams and Pino were brought on as second-half substitutes after Álex Baena scored the opening goal before halftime. While the initial fear was that Pino had fractured his collarbone, Williams suffered a muscular injury, having just returned from a previous setback.

On Saturday, the Spanish soccer federation released a statement confirming that Pino had escaped a fracture, but Williams faced a muscular injury to his right abductor. “Both injuries are of moderate severity, and their recovery will determine their availability,” the federation noted.

Williams’ Struggles

Williams has dealt with various fitness challenges this season while playing for Athletic Club in LaLiga, and his struggles continued with the national team. In a heartfelt social media post, he stated, “Today is one of the worst days of my life. I’m injured again after a very complicated year, in which I fought many battles against a pubalgia, but won the war with sacrifice and most of all, responsibility.”

He continued, “I overcame that injury, and then another one on my hamstring tested me again. Once more, I stopped smiling but I wasn’t going to stop. Yesterday, I suffered another injury after a challenge by a fellow professional, driven by frustration, discontent, and sadness over his situation. It was a play that, in my opinion, could have been avoided because it was completely unnecessary.”

Despite these challenges, Williams maintains a positive outlook, promising that “the story is not over, see you soonest in this World Cup.”

Spain will face the runners-up from Group J, either Austria or Algeria, in their round of 32 matchup on Thursday in the Los Angeles area.

ESPN’s Alex Kirkland contributed to this report.