Keelan Williams said he retired from football at the age of 22 because of a cardiac condition. According to BBC Sport, stage one heart failure caused Williams to end his football career.
The retirement decision
Williams said: "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."
He said: "That's when I decided that I will have to stop playing because I couldn't carry on physically with how I felt."
He also said: "But I had heart failure. My ejection fracture percentage was only 37%, meaning my heart was not pumping as well as it should be."
How the condition was found and treated
Williams said his heart condition was first discovered during a Wales Under-16s camp.
He said: "Wales thought that they had found a murmur in my heart, so they stopped me from travelling until further check-ups were made."
He said: "They referred me to Broadgreen Hospital, where they found that I had an aortic bicuspid valve and I had a slight leak in the valve."
BBC Sport said Williams was diagnosed with a bicuspid aortic valve at the age of 15. BBC Sport also said that following a routine check-up after he joined Bala in January 2024, Williams was told the leak in his heart valve had worsened and surgery was required.
BBC Sport said Williams underwent valve-sparing aortic root replacement surgery in January 2025, followed by a dual-chamber pacemaker implantation. BBC Sport also said complications after that operation meant Williams was admitted to an intensive care unit and treated for sepsis, a collapsed lung and respiratory failure, before he underwent a second, successful operation in September 2025.
His recovery and medical monitoring
Williams said: "They noticed this without me getting any symptoms. I had no symptoms whatsoever."
He said: "When I got back, I couldn't perform at 100%. I would sprint up the pitch, and I'd feel gassed, out of breath, and my legs were heavy."
He said: "Initially, I thought it was my fitness after returning from a second heart surgery."
He said: "I still didn't feel 100%. Again, I thought it was my fitness, but I was still feeling the same two months later when I should have been back to normal."
BBC Sport said a recent echocardiogram showed Williams' LVEF had only increased to 38%. BBC Sport also said Williams now takes five tablets every day and regularly attends heart failure, cardiology and pacemaker clinics.
Career details and family support
BBC Sport said Williams represented Welsh youth teams up to under-19s level and had spells at Bala Town and Denbigh Town.
He said: "It's always a privilege to chase something you've always dreamed of alongside your brother, who has made it now."
He said: "Neco is doing so well. I think he is the best full-back in the Premier League. That's what keeps me going, really."
He said: "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."
