30-year-old Ghanaian forward Inaki Williams has been with Athletic Bilbao all his life. Unquestionably, the winger is a club legend after making nearly 400 appearances for the Basque club since 2014.
The Bilbao-born, whose parents are from Ghana and represent Ghana at the international level, has grown up with immense love for the club.
The Red and Whites ended a 40-year wait for the Copa Del Rey title in the 2023-24 season after beating Real Mallorca 4-2 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in a gruelling 120 minutes of intense action.
The victory threw an entire community into a jubilant mood and sparked an incredible celebration, much to the surprise of the experienced Ghanaian attacker.
In an interview with The Guardian’s Spanish football correspondent, Sid Lowe, Inaki Williams disclosed how excited he was seeing every fan of the club celebrate the title like it were their last.
“I couldn’t describe what I felt,” Williams says. “It was a gorgeous day, like destiny had written it. I was holding the cup. ‘Bloody hell, lads, look what we’ve gone and done.’ Kids, old people, mothers, fathers. Everyone in red and white, crying. Every face was happy. I’ve never felt anything like it. I think of the generations who fought to experience that, and we did. To be in that team, to lift the cup 40 years later, is incredible. And now we’re at the gates of a European final,” Williams said.
Williams revealed his conversation with one of the senior players of the team, Oscar de Marcos, who had wanted to look for a new challenge after 14 years of good service for the club.
“When Óscar decided to continue, we told him: ‘Something big’s going to happen. Last year, you were doubting whether to stay, and we won the cup. You stay again, we get back into Europe, the final is at San Mames … God willing the stars align,” Williams says. “I don’t know how many times I’ve asked Óscar about that game. Iker too. They guided us. Hopefully, we can do what they did. It won’t be easy: Man U are a great team. But we feel good, we’re confident.”
Inaki Williams, after conversations with his mother and some other fans of the club during the Copa Del Rey finals against Mallorca, learned how they suffered because they did not know how things were going to end.
“Afterwards, you felt the relief. My mum even said they left exhausted, empty. They’d lived with so much tension that they were broken, didn’t even have the strength left to celebrate. But you know what? When you’ve won, that weight is taken from you. We’re ready to do it again. The young players have personality, there’s belief. In previous years, maybe we could have reached the semi-final and been scared, but not this year,” Williams added.
The 2024-25 Europa League finals are scheduled to take place at the San Mames, the home of the club, with Inaki encouraging his teammates to take a huge advantage of it.
The Ghanians praised their opponents in the semi-finals, Manchester United, but think they are beatable.
