Inaki Williams, a forward from Ghana, proved his mettle in the football world by helping his brother Nico Williams score against Barcelona and guaranteeing Athletic Bilbao a spot in the Spanish Copa Del Rey semifinals.
Less than 48 hours had passed since Inaki departed on a private jet after Ghana’s disappointing AFCON 2023 exit. This incredible feat has occurred.
Despite the Black Stars’ poor performance in the competition, Inaki’s commitment was evident when he said, “I returned for a purpose.” Come on, let’s go!
Ghana’s AFCON campaign saw them not win any of their group matches, meaning they had to wait for other outcomes to see if they would make it to the round of 16. But Ghana’s elimination was confirmed by Cameroon’s 3-2 victory over The Gambia in the Group C championship match.
After losing 2-1 to Cape Verde in their opening game and drawing 2-2 with both Egypt and Mozambique, the Black Stars concluded Group B with two points. Especially against Egypt, Inaki Williams’ back pass resulted in an equalizer in the 69th minute, which added to the team’s difficulties.
Inaki, who defected from Spain to Ghana in 2022, has played for his country 17 times, with three of those appearances coming at the AFCON. In the 2026 World Cup qualifying tournament, he scored his first goal against Madagascar, indicating a promising goal-scoring trend for the forward.
Though Inaki has scored nine goals in 20 games and provided four assists for Athletic Bilbao so far this season, his play with the Black Stars has been lacklustre.
Although Inaki has proven to be a resilient player—he ended a 251-game streak of consecutive La Liga appearances in January of last year—his inconsistent play with the Black Stars begs concerns about how Ghana is using his skills.
“Inaki is a competent practitioner. He will play right back or central midfield if I tell him to. However, he is ranked ninth. His primary strength is that. Hughton made this comment following Ghana’s first goal against Madagascar through Inaki.
Given that Inaki has been played out of position in six games and that Chris Hughton has acknowledged him as a number nine, there appears to be a lack of clarity regarding Inaki’s position.
Ghana’s strategy has not fully incorporated Inaki’s tactical awareness, his ability to drift inside from the right, or his ability to launch cross-field passes.
The forward was more advanced on the field in the goal against Barcelona, demonstrating his strengths—vertical movements into the opponent’s penalty area, precise finishing, and counterattacking ability—as seen in the images below.
