Inaki Williams, the 28-year-old, whose parents are Ghanaians and who was born in Bilbao, played for Spain’s Under-21 squad and also made one senior team appearance in a friendly match against Bosnia in 2016.
The attacker did not want to squander his prime years waiting for his next call-up to the international team after six years of being ignored by Spain, and he might now play in this year’s World Cup.
Williams declared, “I have my African ancestry and Ghanaian blood while being born in Europe.”
In my opinion, this is the best time to decide. Given that these [opportunities] only pass by once, I don’t believe I will regret my decision.
“I believe I made the proper decisions since I wasn’t going to get another chance like this. I’ll savor the present, honor my heritage, and give back to Ghana for the opportunity it gave me. On a personal level and in terms of sports, I believe I will like it.”
Williams was one of five players who swore allegiance to Ghana last month, and the Ghana Football Association (GFAmove)’s decision to enhance the Black Stars’ World Cup roster by recruiting players from outside has drawn criticism from certain fans of the team.
Wary fans are concerned that this trend—buying up qualifying players of Ghanaian ancestry—could disrupt the cohesiveness of the team that qualified for the finals, which get underway on November 20.
The 2010 World Cup quarterfinalists will play Portugal, South Korea, and Uruguay in Group H, and some of the newcomers are viewed as opportunists who only want a chance to play in Qatar.
Williams admitted he contemplated joining the four-time African champs for “many months” nonetheless.
The GFA president, Kurt Okraku, “made the most [effort] for me to be with the national squad,” he continued. “My family helped me make the decision.”
“This choice has been impacted by a variety of circumstances. They suggested that I represent Ghana because I was planning a trip to see my family there.”
“I didn’t know what I thought, but the trip clarified what my grandparents believed about it. It became simpler when you could see that the public and your family were behind you in becoming a Black Star,” he added.
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Williams is confident in Ghana’s ability to compete and has promised to give it everything when he makes his debut.
“The Ghana national team has a lot of talented players, and our group is strong,” he remarked.
We’ll always make an effort to do our best. Regardless of the circumstances, I will return the love I have received in exchange for my effort, hard work, and accomplishment of goals.
Nobody will be able to fault me for trying to make them proud of me.
Some doubters have suggested that Williams would choose to play for Ghana like Kevin-Prince Boateng, another star with European roots.
The former Germany U21 international represented West Africa at the 2010 and 2014 World Cups, although he was seldom present for games in remote regions of the continent and never participated in the Africa Cup of Nations.
Williams stated, “I made the decision because I will be available for the Nations Cup.”
“We appreciated that the upcoming editions would take place in the winter, but many European teams ultimately lost their top players.”
“I would attempt to offer all for Ghana, representing the nation my parents are from and the country where I feel extremely loved.”
When asked if he would have made a different choice if he had to pick between Spain and Ghana, Williams said, “I don’t know.” For my family, for myself, and for everything they have shown me over the past three months, I chose Ghana.
Williams has played in 234 straight La Liga games after eight seasons at Athletic, breaking the previous record of 202 games set in October.
