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One
of
England’s
Kobbie
Mainoo
or
Spain’s
Nico
Williams
could
become
the
second
player
of
Ghanaian
descent
to
win
the
European
Championship
after
France’s
Marcel
Desailly
in
2000.
Mainoo,
19,
has
been
impressive
for
the
Three
Lions
in
midfield,
while
Spain’s
Williams
has
also
shown
his
quality
with
electrifying
attacking
dynamism
for
La
Roja.
Only
a
year
ago
in
2023,
Kobbie
Mainoo
was
featuring
for
England’s
youth
team
in
the
U19
Euros.
One
year
on,
the
Manchester
United
midfielder
has
cemented
his
place
in
Gareth
Southgate’s
midfield,
featuring
in
five
games
in
the
tournament
while
displaying
calm,
composure,
and
maturity
for
a
player
of
his
age.
Desailly
On
the
other
side
in
red
is
Nico
Williams,
one
of
the
breakout
stars
of
the
tournament
and
brother
of
Ghanaian
forward
Inaki
Williams.
Nico’s
parents,
Felix
and
Maria
Williams,
arrived
in
Spain
as
refugees
in
1994,
birthing
the
21-year-old
in
2002
in
Spain.
He
rose
through
the
ranks
at
Athletic
Bilbao
at
the
youth
level
before
joining
the
senior
team
in
the
2020/2021
season.
Williams
has
improved
in
quality
over
the
years
and
has
been
crucial
for
Spain
in
the
wide
areas
in
this
competition,
forming
a
balanced
attacking
threat
for
La
Roja
with
17-year-old
Lamine
Yamal.
Just
like
Mainoo,
Williams
will
be
aiming
to
secure
his
first
international
title
and
become
a
champion
of
Europe
for
the
first
time
in
his
career.
Spain
look
the
favourites
after
showcasing
immense
attacking
fluidity
under
head
coach
Luis
de
la
Fuente,
but
England
also
have
enough
firepower
in
their
fold
to
cause
the
three-time
winners
problems
across
many
aspects
of
the
game.
Regardless
of
the
result,
one
of
these
young
stars
of
Ghanaian
descent
will
be
crowned
as
a
European
champion
24
years
after
Desailly
in
2000.
Achieving
such
a
feat
will
be
a
truly
remarkable
sight
for
either
of
them
on
a
personal
level
come
Sunday
night.