Premier League target Nico Williams has bizarrely named Wilfried Zaha as one of his idols - with the Crystal Palace star joining esteemed company such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar in the trio of stars the Athletic Bilbao star has named that he looked up to.
Williams, just 22 years of age, has risen through Bilbao's famous Lezama youth academy, and after making his debut in 2021, has already featured in 157 games for the club - scoring 27 goals in the process as the Basque club looks to qualify for the Champions League this season.
Nico Williams Had Wilfried Zaha as 'One of His Idols'
The winger went as far as emulating hairstyles of the Croydon star
Nico Williams
His talents have seen a number of Premier League teams interested in his services, including Arsenal and Manchester United - and having scored twice at EURO 2024, including the opener in the final against England, he's certainly going to be a hot commodity in the transfer market this summer.
Nico Williams' La Liga statistics - Athletic Bilbao squad ranking
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But despite having an elite cohort of European teams interested in his services, Williams has named a Selhurst Park legend as his idol in Zaha, who now features for MLS outfit Charlotte FC - stating that not only did he love to watch the Eagles legend play, but he also went as far as cutting his hair like the Ivorian to look like his idol - stating that he aimed to do as little as 'five percent' as much as Zaha if he was to be successful.
Speaking to France Football, the winger said:
"Neymar, Cristiano Ronaldo – I've always liked these kinds of attackers. I also loved Wilfried Zaha when he was at Crystal Palace. He was a player I loved to watch. I cut my hair like this to look like him. I tried to copy them as much as possible, just to do 5% of what they could do."
There Are Comparisons Between Zaha and Williams
The duo play alike and that could come to fruition if Williams makes England switch
Wilfried Zaha
Zaha's dribbling exploits and his ability to glide past players with ease at Selhurst Park saw him become a huge fan favourite in his time at Palace during his first spell at the club - making 143 appearances, scoring 18 goals for the Eagles including a Championship play-off semi-final brace vs rivals Brighton.
That saw him join Manchester United in 2013, but after just four appearances and an underwhelming loan spell at Cardiff City, he moved back to Palace just a year later. A further 315 outings saw him record a total of 458 appearances for the South London club, notching 90 goals in all competitions across his two spells, before joining Galatasaray - where he's since wound up at Lyon and Charlotte at the age of 32.
Williams and Zaha are extremely similar players, being quick wingers with an eye for goal - and if the Spaniard does move to the Premier League, comparisons will be drawn between the duo if he can excel at the top-flight stage.
Williams plays alongside brother Inaki at San Mames, and the club have mounted an unlikely title push as they currently sit just eight points from the title - and although it's unlikely that they will win La Liga for the first time since the mid-1980's, a first Champions League campaign since 2014 could be on the cards - which could mean Williams stays at his boyhood club.
Statistics courtesy of WhoScored. Correct as of 10-03-25.
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