I feel more Basque, Inaki Williams maturely rejects Ghana
Spanish-born of Ghanaian descent, Inaki Williams has been a target of the Ghana Football Association for some time now. Buoyed by his continuous snub by the Spanish national, Ghana has understandably made several overtures at the exciting attacker to pledge his international future to the Black Stars.
If there was any hope of the attacker donning the Black Stars jersey and turning out for the West African side, that has now but totally been extinct from all possibilities and closure, we can agree has now been reached.
The 27-year-old Athletic Bilbao forward has now spoken openly on the approaches from the four-time African champions and why he has not turned out for the Stars yet, even though the offers have been made.
According to him, he feels more Basque despite his Ghanaian roots and his admiration for the Ghanaian food and culture and even his affinity to visiting the country. In an interview with the Guardian, he explained why he has turned down the opportunity to play for Ghana.
“I’m grateful to where I grew and became who I am. Ghana tried to convince me, but I was born in Spain, in Bilbao. I won’t ever forget my family roots, but I feel Basque and can’t con anyone. I would be comfortable with Ghana, I’m sure, but I shouldn’t be there …
“And my mum knows how people live football there: it’s quite something, and she’d be worried about me.
“When my mum’s angry, she swears at us in Ghanaian but we speak Spanish. When my parents came, it was English but we lost that. I could have a conversation in English but it’s not fluent now. When my grandparents call, I speak to them in Twi.
“I admire and love Ghana, the culture, food, tradition. My parents are from Accra and I really enjoy going. But I wasn’t born or raised there, my culture’s here, and there are players for whom it would mean more. I don’t think it would be right to take the place of someone who really deserves to go and who feels Ghana 100%.”
Inaki has made 304 senior appearances for Athletic Bilbao, scoring 67 senior goals in all competitions for the Lions since making his senior debut in 2014. He has made 203 consecutive league appearances, a La Liga record.
His only senior appearance for Spain came in a friendly against Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2016 where he came in as a substitute for Marcos Asensio who was also making his debut in the match. Though he was named as part of the 11 reserves for Spain in the Euro 2016, he has not made any competitive appearance for La Roja.
By: Clifford Adumbire | myactiveonline.com
