Neco Williams talks Wales icons and World Cup qualifiers

Neco Williams is in awe of what came before him. The names of Gareth Bale, Aaron Ramsey and Craig Bellamy are eternal icons of Welsh football.

But is following in their footsteps a gift or a curse? Living up to the high standards set by the aforementioned trio is an expectation that Williams and his Wales teammates have no choice but to live up to.

Naturally, Williams works alongside one of his heroes in Bellamy, who is currently Wales coach.

The pair is facing a big week. Wales will face Bosnia and Herzegovina in the World Cup qualifiers semi-final on Thursday before a potential final against Italy or Northern Ireland next week for a place in this summer’s tournament.

The shadows of Bale, Ramsay and others still loom, but are they an inspiration or a burden?

“A little bit of both,” Williams told BBC Sport.

“When you were a kid, you watched the likes of Gareth Bale, Aaron Ramsey and Craig Bellamy. You grew up loving them. You wanted to be like them.

“Now that they have retired, the new generation will come in. We are not a big country and we don’t have many, many players.

“But the way we deal as a team and the teamwork, I think that’s what drives us and gets us through.

“Where I used to see myself as a young guy, now I’m not that young guy anymore. I’ve become the bigger player and I need to mentor these young players coming up. We’re a family.”

Speaking to Williams, you quickly realize how impressed he is with Bellamy, who has entrusted the Nottingham Forest full-back with being a key part of a team hoping to qualify for a second successive World Cup.

Bellamy’s aggressive and infectious style throughout his playing career has made him one of the most effective strikers in the Premier League.

Williams says his management style is equally exciting.

“As good as a player he was, he’s just as good as a coach. He’s obsessed with football,” Williams said.

“He’s constantly talking about football. He’s obsessed with Wales and you want a coach like that.”

Having qualified for the 2022 World Cup with playoff wins over Austria and Ukraine, Williams knows everything that awaits her over the next seven days.

Nerves, stress and exhaustion – but Williams insists it will all be worth it if they reach the finals in June.

“It would mean everything,” he said.

“I was lucky enough to get to one and to get to another would be an amazing achievement.

“The World Cup in Qatar – our play-offs were sporadic because we played Austria in the first game and then because of what happened in Ukraine, that was postponed to the summer.

“So it seemed like everything about that tournament was a little rushed. We were the last team to qualify. We had last choice on almost everything — hotels, travel, hotels for our family.”

“And when we were there, it was all our first World Cup, so we didn’t really know what to expect.

“I think we will do better if we reach the World Cup.”