Inaki Williams has praised Athletic Bilbao for developing him into a quality player who will now represent Ghana in the World Cup.
Inaki is grateful to the Basque club for molding him.
The 28-year-old athletic attacker was named to Ghana’s 26-man roster and aims to do well for his team in Qatar.
Williams was named to Ghana coach Otto Addo’s final World Cup roster on Monday, and the Basque-born attacker believes it would not have been possible if Athletic Bilbao had not offered a nurturing atmosphere for him to grow.
“It’s an honor, and I’m looking forward to my debut,” he told the club’s internal channel.
“Athletic has provided me with everything. I shall be eternally grateful for everything they have done to provide me with this chance. I can play in a World Cup because of the coaching staff, employees, and all of my teammates.”
“What better way to represent Athletic than to play for the Ghana national team in a World Cup?”
Williams is certain to make his World Cup debut, as Addo is likely to prefer him up front as the Black Stars look to advance from their group, which includes Portugal, South Korea, and Uruguay.
The 28-year-old was one of several foreign-born stars who switched allegiance to Ghana in July after the Ghana Football Association made several overtures ahead of the global tournament in Qatar.
In September, he made his Black Stars debut against Brazil in a friendly match before starting against Nicaragua a few days later.
That game may have given Addo an idea of how to deploy Inaki, who caused issues for their opponents with his directness and pace, as well as his link-up play with Ajax midfielder Mohammed Kudus.
Inaki, who was born in Bilbao to Ghanaian parents, has been at Athletic since December 2014, making 355 appearances in all competitions and scored 78 goals, including five in 15 this season.
The forward will join the national team for World Cup preparations, which will include a friendly against Switzerland on Thursday.
