They risked their lives for us - Nico Williams eulogizes his parents

Athletic Bilbao forward Nico Williams has expressed deep gratitude to his parents for their courageous journey from Ghana to Spain in search of a better life, risking everything along the way.

Nico's parents, Felix and Maria, undertook a perilous trek through the Sahara desert in pursuit of a brighter future, originally aiming for the United Kingdom but halted midway by a gang that seized their savings.

They were eventually detained in the Spanish enclave of Melilla in North Africa, where legal counsel advised them to claim asylum under Liberia's name instead of Ghana's.

Reflecting on his parents' sacrifices, Nico, who now plays for the Spanish national team, spoke warmly about their journey and its impact on their family's prosperity.

"Thanks to God we are all here together now, living a really good life. My parents are getting to watch their sons prosper, which is why they came here. Everything we do is for our parents," he told the BBC.

"They risked their lives so that we, my brother and I, have a better future. And they achieved that. I will forever appreciate what my father and my mother did for us - they are fighters, they instilled in us respect, hard work, every day, that nobody gifts you anything.

"The truth is I am so proud to be able to have them as parents, and I try to do everything possible so that they feel proud to have me as a son," he added.

Nico's older brother, Inaki Williams, chose to represent Ghana in football.