World Cup 2026: Spain's Nico Williams criticized for injury-hit tackle
Spain's Nico Williams criticized a tackle by Uruguay's Nicolas de la Cruz that left him injured, which could rule him out of Spain's next World Cup match.
Spain winger Nico Williams has accused Uruguay's Nicolas de la Cruz of making a "completely unnecessary" tackle that left him injured. The injury is expected to keep Williams out of his nation's World Cup last-32 tie at least. The injury came as Spain defeated Uruguay 1–0, eliminating Uruguay from the competition.
Williams said it was "one of the worst days of my life". De la Cruz was shown a card in extra time for this tackle, while his teammate Agustín Canobbio was shown a straight red card for a tackle on Pau Cubarsi.
Williams, 23, has experienced an injury-plagued season with Athletic Club Bilbao and has made only brief appearances in Spain's three group games. "Today is one of the worst days of my life. I'm injured again, after a very difficult year," he wrote on social media.
"Yesterday, I suffered a new injury, where a fellow professional did it out of his own frustration, dissatisfaction and sadness. In my opinion, this was a situation that could have been avoided, because it was completely unnecessary. But it won't stop me."
The Spanish Football Association said Williams suffered a "moderate" injury and still had a chance of returning to the tournament.