According to Marca, Vivian played for several months while injured at the club's request, which cost him a spot in the FIFA World Cup, while Nico chose to recover.

Vivian was included in De la Fuente's squad for both the European Championship and the FIFA World Cup preparation phase. However, a tear in his adductor attachment ultimately cost him the opportunity to compete in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. "Players must be ambitious, and I always have been. It was truly painful. I put a lot into it, but I wasn't at my best at the time. Luis has always been clear that the national team only selects those who are in the best form. That was tough and painful, but it also taught me a lot and made me reflect on myself in many situations. It's normal to feel a bit envious watching others compete. I stayed in touch with my teammates during the FIFA World Cup, and now I'm really looking forward to making it to the next one," said the central defender.

The player from Vitoria explained that he got injured in January, but the team's needs required him to keep playing instead of undergoing the recovery that could have brought him closer to the FIFA World Cup and a strong finish to the season. "I knew there could be consequences. Many times, you understand that you have to make such sacrifices and that the club comes first. Since January, I've had an injury to my adductor attachment, and the problem kept dragging on. That was the team's situation then, so in the end, we decided not to stop. To be on the field, you have to give everything. I was in a lot of pain during training all week, just to be able to make it to the games. I belong to the club, so I made that sacrifice. Maybe I wasn't at 100%, but sometimes you have to turn your 80% into 100%," he emphasized.

The head coach did not explain the final FIFA World Cup squad selections, and Vivian did not ask for an explanation. "We didn't talk about it. Luis has also made it clear multiple times that he wouldn't explain why someone was selected or why someone else was left out. I don't need that because every player should know what they are doing," he said.

Athletic Club handled Nico's recovery differently because, while both injuries were similar, the specific circumstances were not the same. Nico took several weeks off entirely, ultimately making it to the FIFA World Cup, where he came off the bench in the final and assisted Ferran's winning goal. The younger of the Williams brothers took a different path, one that was not available to Vivian.

AF's PC site is now live! Browse full news, comments, match details and stats on your computer. Visit: www.allfootballapp.com