How Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe Inspires Athletic Club's Nico Williams
Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe has been playing first-team football since 2015 when he broke through at AS Monaco. Afterward, the Frenchman played eight years with Paris Saint-Germain and then moved to the Spanish side last summer.
Even though he's been playing first-team football for a decade, he's still only 26. However, the past 11 years since his debut with Monaco have left a lasting impression on younger players, including Athletic Club's Nico Williams.
Williams, who had a standout performance at UEFA Euro 2024 for Spain, spoke with France Football (h/t Le10Sport), and he shared his admiration for Mbappe because they both prefer to play on the left side.
Kylian. He also plays on the left side, although he can also play up front. The dribbles he does, how he executes them, his way of moving... I really enjoy watching him, especially today as I try not to just be a dribbler.
- Nico Williams
Moreover, Williams revealed what he sees on the pitch from Mbappe that he attempts to implament in his game.
I like how he moves, how he positions himself on the pitch, how he stands out. I try to do it too, and it works.
- Nico Williams
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— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) March 9, 2025
Now that the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner is playing in La Liga, Williams gets to play against the former PSG standout more often. Moreover, he noted that many players in Spain's top flight view Mbappe as he sees the forward as a complete player.
He’s truly an extraordinary player. He dribbles, has a sense of goal, vision of the game, he’s the perfect forward. He does incredible things. For me, he’s one of the most complete players in the world right now.
- Nico Williams
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Eduardo is an experienced freelance football writer covering Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and PSG On SI. He also covers PSG for PSG Talk and French football for Ligue 1's official English website. He's contributed to NBC Sports' regional sports networks, including NBC Sports Washington and NBC Sports Bay Area & California, providing in-depth sports content for those markets.