Rhys Williams (born 3 February 2001) is an English professional footballer who plays as a

centre-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

for Liverpool.

Early life

Williams was born in Preston, Lancashire.

Club career

Early career

Williams joined Liverpool's academy aged ten and won the

FA Youth Cup The Football Association Youth Challenge Cup is an English football competition run by The Football Association for under-18 sides. Only those players between the age of 15 and 18 on 31 August of the current season are eligible to take part. It ...

with the their youth team in

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

. He joined Kidderminster Harriers on loan in August 2019. In September 2020, Williams signed a long-term contract with Liverpool. He made his first-team debut for the club in the

EFL Cup The EFL Cup (referred to historically, and colloquially, as the League Cup), currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual knockout competition and major trophy in men's domestic football in England. Organised by the ...

on 24 September 2020, against Lincoln City, partnering Virgil van Dijk in central defence. On 21 October 2020, Williams came on as a 90th-minute substitute against AFC Ajax in the UEFA Champions League. He made his second Champions League appearance the following week, where he came on as a 30th-minute substitute against FC Midtjylland after an injury to Fabinho. Liverpool went on to win 2–0, with Jürgen Klopp praising his performance after the game, saying to the press, "He did well, everything looks promising." On 4 November 2020, Williams played the full ninety minutes in a Champions League tie at Atalanta, keeping a clean sheet in a 5–0 win. On 16 December 2020, he made his Premier League debut with a start in a 2–1 win against Tottenham Hotspur. On 8 May, he slotted back alongside

Nat Phillips Nathaniel Harry Phillips (born 21 March 1997) is an English professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for club Liverpool. Early life Phillips was born in Bolton, Greater Manchester. Career Early career In 2016, Phillips left Bolto ...

in a 2–0 win over Southampton. He went on to play every game in the heart of the defence for Liverpool as they finished third.

Loans

On 31 August 2021, Williams signed a new contract with Liverpool and joined

Swansea City Swansea City Association Football Club (; cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Cymdeithas Dinas Abertawe) is a professional football club based in Swansea, Wales that plays in the Championship, the second tier of English football. Swansea have played their ho ...

on loan, initially to last until 30 June 2022, but Liverpool recalled him on 20 January 2022. Williams's next loan move was to

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...

, on 19 July 2022, for the duration of the 2022–23 season. He made his debut for the club in a single-goal victory over Reading at Bloomfield Road on 29 July. After 17 appearances with the Seasiders, Williams was recalled to Liverpool on 23 January 2023.

International career

Williams played for the England U18 team between March and May 2019, and was called up for the England U-19 team for the International Marbella Cup in October 2019. On 5 October 2020, Williams received his first call-up to the

England U-21 The England national under-21 football team, also known as England under-21s or England U21(s), is considered to be the feeder team for the England national football team. This team is for England players aged under 21 at the start of the calen ...

squad, and made his debut during a 3–3 draw against Andorra on 7 October 2020.

Career statistics

Honours

Liverpool Academy *

: 2018–19

References

External links

Profile
at the Liverpool F.C. website {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Rhys 2001 births Living people Footballers from Preston, Lancashire English footballers Association football defenders Liverpool F.C. players Kidderminster Harriers F.C. players Swansea City A.F.C. players Blackpool F.C. players National League (English football) players Premier League players English Football League players England youth international footballers England under-21 international footballers