Wales star Neco Williams has opened up on the horrendous abuse he received on social media after making his breakthrough at Liverpool.
Williams joined Leicester City's Hamza Choudhury in an initiative with VERSUS and Childline to encourage youngsters to seek help in times of trouble.
Williams joined the Liverpool academy as a six-year-old and broke onto the scene at Anfield while still a teenager, with his tenacious style and enthusiasm for the game garnering plenty of support from the Reds faithful.
But as ever in the world of social media, that backing can quickly flip on its head in light of a perceived sub-par performance, and Williams revealed that it was difficult and indeed hurtful to process at such a young age.
The full-back, who is now on loan at Fulham for the rest of the season, has encouraged those who need to talk to seek help.
"Even though I'm only 20 now, I've been through, I'd say, quite a lot and experienced quite a lot," Williams said, who has a Premier League winners' medal in his locker.
"I've been through the highs and I've been through the lows. It's been like a rollercoaster. I had a hard time on social media when I was probably 19.
"I remember that time quite well because it was the first ever time that I got abused on Twitter for one of my performances.
"And yeah, I'm not going to lie, it was a very tough time. Everything was just horrible on there and that's the first ever time I have experienced that.
"I didn't want to be around no one, I just went straight to my house in Liverpool and stayed there on my own.
"I just felt angry, embarrassed. I didn't know what to do. Looking back at it now I just wish I would have spoke to more people.
"I would 100 per cent tell younger people to connect with real people and tell them what's going on, how you're feeling and get it all off your chest."
The Wrexham-born defender has been in superb form since joining the Cottagers, netting twice against Swansea City last week. He also attempted an audacious effort from the halfway line against Blackburn earlier this month, with the ball crashing off the bar.
He is set to be named in Rob Page's squad for Wales' World Cup play-off match with Austria later this month.
Williams teamed up with Choudhury as part of the scheme to help youngsters deal with difficult situations. The Foxes man added that anxiety can make talking about things seem that much worse.
He said: “I think if I looked back now, I’d advise my younger self to maybe go a bit easier on myself. I was anxious about proving people wrong, proving people right, making people proud.
“For an individual, it’s just [important] to find someone you can trust, someone you can be open with and feel comfortable talking about these things with.”
If you’re worried about anything or need support, you can call Childline at any time on 0800 1111, or find support online at Childline.org.uk.
