Nico Williams has publicly condemned the challenge from Uruguay's Nicolas de la Cruz that left the Spain winger sidelined, describing it as "completely unnecessary" and calling it one of the most painful moments of his career.

The incident occurred during Spain's 1-0 victory over Uruguay, a result that eliminated the South Americans from the tournament. Williams sustained a muscle injury from the challenge, and the Spanish Football Federation has confirmed he faces a spell on the sidelines — ruling him out of at least Spain's last-32 fixture.

A difficult year made worse

Williams, 23, has endured a disrupted season with Athletic Club in Bilbao due to injury, and only featured as a substitute in brief cameos across Spain's three group-stage matches. The timing of this latest setback makes it all the more bitter.

Taking to social media, the winger did not hold back: "Today is one of the worst days of my life. I am injured again after a very difficult year."

"Yesterday, I suffered a new injury following an incident where a fellow professional acted out of frustration, unhappiness, and sadness over the situation he was going through. In my opinion, it was a play that could have been avoided, as it was completely unnecessary. But this won't stop me."

Disciplinary fallout

De la Cruz received a booking for the foul, which came in added time. The flashpoint did not end there — Uruguay's Agustin Canobbio was shown a straight red card moments later for a dangerous challenge on Spain's Pau Cubarsi.

Despite the severity of the setback, the Spanish Football Federation offered a cautious note of optimism, stating that Williams had suffered a "moderate" injury and could still return to action at a later stage of the competition.