​Keelan Williams received two open-heart surgeries in 2025 [Supplied]At just 22 years old, Keelan Williams faced the hardest decision of his life. Stage one heart failure caused him to call an end to his football career.After two open-heart surgeries and two pacemaker implants, the former Liverpool and Burnley academy prospect had exhausted his medical options.Williams was diagnosed with a bicuspid aortic valve – a congenital condition in which the valve has two flaps instead of three – at the age of 15.But seven years later, further complications forced him to quit the sport both he and his older brother, Wales international Neco Williams, had dreamed of playing professionally since childhood.”It’s sad and disappointing that I’ve had to make the decision to retire and step away from playing because of a cardiac condition,” Williams told BBC Sport.Groves’ journey from heart surgery to ScarletsHeart condition forces Newport O’Brien to retireWilliams’ football journey started at local side Cefn United, before he joined a Liverpool satellite academy at six and signed terms with the Reds at eight.He remained in Liverpool’s academy until 16, when he joined Burnley, all while representing Welsh youth teams up to under-19s level.Spells at then Cymru Premier side Bala Town and Cymru North club Denbigh Town followed before medical advice prompted an early retirement. Although stepping away has left Williams wondering what might have been, the support he has received and his brother’s continued success have helped him adjust to life away from football.”It’s always a privilege to chase something you’ve always dreamed of alongside your brother, who has made it now,” Williams added.”Neco is doing so well. I think he is the best full-back in the Premier League. That’s what keeps me going, really.”Williams also highlights the “crazy” love and backing he has received from family and friends, along with the level of support he has had through social media.”It’s something that I don’t take for granted. I really treasure the support. It would be much more difficult if I didn’t have that.”Football is all about setbacks and how you respond. I’ve had to stop playing completely, which is more extreme, but you have to look at the positives.”‘I’m very lucky in many senses’Keelan Williams (right) pictured alongside his older brother Neco Williams (left) [Supplied]It was during a Wales Under-16s camp that his heart condition was first discovered. Before a trip abroad, every squad member had to undergo a routine check-up.”Wales thought that they had found a murmur in my heart, so they stopped me from travelling until further check-ups were made,” Williams recalled.”They referred me to Broadgreen Hospital [in Liverpool], where they found that I had an aortic bicuspid valve and I had a slight leak in the valve.”They noticed this without me getting any symptoms. I had no symptoms whatsoever.”I was lucky in many senses that I played for Liverpool and Wales because if I didn’t, I