Who would’ve thought that one of the biggest African stars of LALIGA EA SPORTS would come from Athletic Club, a club that’s famous for its policy of only picking players from the Basque region?
It’s been an unusual journey for Iñaki Williams from being a born and bred Basque to a Ghanaian hero representing the African continent in Europe, but it’s also coincided with an upturn in success at his club.
Iñaki and his younger brother Nico, were both identified by the club as talented players when they were young and they developed as footballers in Lezaman, the club’s world-famous youth setup.
While the brothers have benefited from opportunities offered in their hometown, the story of their parents is extremely different.
In search of a better life, Felix Williams and Maria Arthuer made the journey from Ghana to Spain, which included crossing the Sahara desert by foot, allwhile Maria was pregnant with Iñaki.
They were arrested in Melila, a Spanish enclave in Morocco, after jumping a border fence, and were advised by a lawyer to lie and claim that they were from war-torn Liberia so that they could seek political asylum. He then arranged for a priest from Bilbao to take care of them and see that the birth could be made in the local hospital.
Iñaki was named after that priest and began his life’s journey as a football-obsessed son of the Basque Country. And after years of showing promise, in 2014, he made his debut for the Athletic Club first team at the age of just 20.
It took him two seasons to become entrenched as a regular starter. Since thenhis role has always been that of a forward who balances providing goals with scoring them. Also, he’s proven to be a remarkably durable and committed player. His 251 consecutive LALIGA appearances without missing a single match between April 2016 and January 2023, spanning eight different seasons, is an all-time record in LALIGA history.
It didn’t take long for him to gain recognition from the Spanish national team coach Vicente del Bosque and he earned a solitary cap in a 2016 friendly against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
As the years went by with no further call-ups from Spain (unlike his brother Nico, who has quickly become a fixture in the Spanish starting XI), the opportunity to represent Ghana became a possibility. At first, he seemed hesitant, but he revealed that a discussion with his grandfather ignited the passion to represent the heritage of his family.
Williams confessed that he was nervous when first turning out for the Black Stars shortly before the start of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, but after his passion and work ethic became clear through his performances in the national team, he’s felt fully integrated in the environment.
He went on to play in the World Cup in Qatar as well as in the 2024 AFCON tournament in Côte d’Ivoire. In this period, Athletic Club’s fortunes turned and have been going through their most successful period in decades.
Both Williams brothers started in the Copa del Rey final last year against RCD Mallorca, which ended in the club lifting their first major trophy in 40 years.
Currently, they are sitting in fourth on the LALIGA table with five games to play. With five Spanish clubs confirmed to be playing in the UEFA Champions League next season, it’s highly likely that we’ll the club return to the competition for the first time since 2014/15.
Athletic Club are also in with a chance of winning silverware this season. They’re in the semi-finals of the Europa League and the final will be played at their home of the San Mames Stadium.
The present and the future look bright for Athletic Club, and it’s also looking bright for their shining Black Star.
