Actions come amid long-running saga as Athletic Club’s homegrown star aims to complete a move to Barcelona
The mural of Nico Williams, Athletic Club’s homegrown star on the verge of a move to Barcelona, has been defaced for the second time in a week.
The artwork is painted on a wall near Athletic Club’s San Mamés Stadium in Bilbao and originally depicted Williams alongside his brother Iñaki and long-time club captain Iker Muniain. It was created as a celebratory mural honouring local heroes, but has now turned into the focal point for anger and protest in Bilbao over the 22-year-old Williams’ pending switch from the Basque country to Catalonia.
Last week, as news continued to bubble that Williams was edging closer to a move to Barcelona, an unhappy section of the fan base erased the player’s face on the mural and wrote in Basque: “Joan edo geratu, errespetua galdu duzu”, meaning “Whether you leave or stay, you have lost respect.”
On Saturday, just hours after the mural had been carefully restored by artist Carlos Lopez, it was again vandalised. This time, the message in Spanish read: “rata de mierda”, meaning “rat of s**t.”
The expected move has roused so much anger because Athletic Club take pride in fielding local players, and losing one of their brightest homegrown talents to Barcelona feels to some fans like a betrayal.
Tensions are not confined to the street. This week officials from the club travelled to the capital to voice concerns to La Liga over whether Barcelona can legally afford to sign Williams under financial fair play rules.
According to La Liga’s “1:1 rule”, clubs cannot spend more on players than their income in any given year. Athletic believe Barcelona are not yet compliant, and have held discussions with league president Javier Tebas, who has publicly acknowledged the concerns. Tebas has previously warned that Barcelona’s wage bill and overall financial health remain under scrutiny.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta has dismissed the issue, saying: “We’ve taken all the necessary steps to be able to sign normally. We will be able to sign and register the two players we want to sign.”
