David Williams was one of the biggest prospects in football coming from the land down under, when he signed for the former Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) club ATK FC in the 2019-20. He made his name in the A-League representing teams like Melbourne City FC, Northern Fury and Wellington Phoenix in the competition. He also went on to represent the national team twice.
Let’s understand how he became the player he is currently and what makes him so lethal in front of the goal.
THE BEGINNING
David Williams was born in the beautiful city of Brisbane, Australia. He played youth football at the Queensland Academy of Sport before making his professional debut for his hometown club Queensland Roar. Before he got a contract in the A-League, Williams trained with Belgian giants Club Brugge and the current champions of England, Liverpool. In January 2006, he signed his first professional contract with Queensland Roar. The coaching staff of the club called him the biggest prospect in Australian football since Harry Kewell.
FIRST STEPS IN PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL
The early parts of his career took him to the Danish league to play for Brondby. He spent three seasons at the club and that was a huge learning curve for the striker. He made 41 appearances for Brondby and found the back of the net five times. The 2009-10 season saw his return to his native country Australia, back to the A-League. Williams signed for North Queensland Fury on a one-year loan and ended up making it a permanent move to the club. He played 49 matches for the Fury and was relatively successful with eight goals during his time at the club.
For the AFC Champions League in 2011, Williams joined Sydney FC on a short-term contract to play for the club in that competition. It wasn’t a successful stint for him as Sydney FC crashed out in the group stage of the AFC Champions League, after just four matches. Williams then had to find a new home at Melbourne Heart (now called Melbourne City FC).
THE START OF SOMETHING SPECIAL
David Williams signed a contract with the A-League team Melbourne City FC in 2011. This is when we saw the best of Williams in professional football. He went on to play 101 times for the Melbourne-based club and scored 21 times for them. The 2013-14 season was a personal best for him. He collected a few accolades for his strong performances as well. He was named in the PFA A-League Team of the Year and was adjudged as Melbourne City’s Player of the Season. He featured in the A-League All-Stars Game in 2013 and 2014. The latter was his last appearance in Australia for the time being as he went on to join the Hungarian team Haladas for the 2015-16 season.
Williams went on to play 66 games for Haladas and his goalscoring record improved. He scored 20 times during the three seasons he spent at the club before making a return to the A-League this time with the New Zealand-based team, Wellington Phoenix. At Wellington, his goal scoring record was better than ever as in the one season he played at the club he netted 11 times in 27 matches. He forged a wonderful relationship with fellow striker Roy Krishna and this was just the beginning of something very special.
HERO ISL CHAMPIONS
For the 2019-20 season, it was announced that David Williams will try his hand in Indian football with ATK FC. He followed the move of his friend Roy Krishna and the league wasn’t ready for the havoc the two created in the season. He created match-winning performances after performances and his goal against defending champions Bengaluru FC meant that his team were in the final of the Hero ISL. ATK’s win over Chennaiyin in the final of the 2019-20 season earned Williams his first trophy in professional football. He extended his stay in the Hero ISL ahead of the current season and became a part of ATK Mohun Bagan. He is currently one of the top stars in the squadand got his 2020-21 season up and running with a goal against Bengaluru FC.
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