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In this article, we will be providing you with all you need to know about Ghanaian superstar Inaki Williams and the rest of his family including his brother Nico Williams and mother Maria Arthuer.
Inaki Williams is a 28-year-old footballer who plays professionally for Athletic Club Bilbao in the Spanish La Liga where he has played his entire career so far, making him a Basque legend.
His 20-year-old brother Nico Williams is also following in his elder brother’s footsteps by becoming a key performer for Bilbao as well.
Here is a deep dive into Inaki Williams’ life and career so far with 10 interesting facts about the Ghanaian striker and his family, especially his brother Nico Williams and mother Maria Arthuer.
10 things to know about Inaki Williams’ family
Inaki Williams Bio
1. Inaki Williams Arthuer was born in Bilbao, Biscay, Spain to Ghanaian parents and spent most of his childhood living in Pamplona, specifically the Rochapea neighbourhood.
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He was playing youth football with local CD Pamplona when he was spotted by Athletic Bilbao, who signed him to their youth setup at Lezama at the age of 18 according to his Wikipedia page.
After impressing with the Athletic Bilbao Juvenil A team in his first season, he signed a new contract with the Basque club on 25 June 2013 which would run until 2017.
2. Inaki Williams made his senior debut for Athletic Bilbao in the 2013/14 season in a 1–0 home loss against Cordoba on December 6, 2014, which was also in La Liga debut.
He scored his first goal for the club on February 19, 2015, in a 2–2 draw at Torino in the UEFA Europa League round of 32. He also became the first black player to score for the club in the process.
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3. The young striker attracted attention from mainstream Europe with top clubs like Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City all scouting him and showing interest but Inaki Williams displayed great loyalty to Athletic Bilbao by signing a contract extension in January 2016 until 2021; the deal included a €50 million buyout clause.
However, just over two years later he signed another contract with Athletic Club, this time a nine-year contract in August 2019, with his release clause set at €135 million.
4. Inaki Williams broke the record for most consecutive games in La Liga history by featuring in Athletic Bilbao's win over Deportivo Alaves. The forward made his 203rd successive appearance in the Spanish top flight, and it was marked with a victory as Athletic prevailed 1-0 thanks to Raul Garcia's 44th-minute strike.
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The previous record was held by former Real Sociedad defender Juan Antonio Larranaga, who played 202 consecutive games for La Real between 1986 and 1992.
Inaki then extended the record to 251 consecutive La Liga appearances after which the run which last over six years ended on January 29, 2023, when he was left out of the squad because of muscular problems in a game away at Celta Vigo which Bilbao lost 1-0.
5. Inaki Williams was born and bred in Spain so he played his entire international youth career for the Spanish under-21 national team for whom he made 17 appearances and scored three goals. Williams would go on to get a shot with the senior national team of Spain when he was listed as one of 11 standby players for Vicente del Bosque's Spain squad at UEFA Euro 2016.
He made his senior debut for Spain on May 29, 2016, replacing fellow debutant Marco Asensio at the hour mark of a 3–1 friendly defeat of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
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Having made no competitive appearances for Spain by 2021, Inaki switched his international allegiance to his parents’ country, Ghana.
Inaki announced his switch to Ghana on July 5, 2022, making himself available for the African nation in time for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. In September, he received his first call-up for friendlies against Brazil and Nicaragua and his debut came in a 3-0 loss to the Selecao.
The forward was subsequently included in Ghana’s Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup squad where he played all three of their games against Portugal, South Korea and Portugal before the Black Stars suffered group-stage elimination.
Inaki has since played two more games for Ghana, home and away against Angola in the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, taking his total appearances for his country to six games.
Nico Williams
6. Nico Williams was born in Pamplona, Navarre, to the same Ghanaian parents as his elder brother Inaki. He joined the youth academy of Athletic Bilbao in 2013 from his hometown side CA Osasuna and began his senior career with the club's farm team, Basconia, during the 2019–20 season according to his Wikipedia page.
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Nico made his first team and La Liga debut on April 28, 2021, after coming on as a second-half substitute for Jon Morcillo in a 2–2 home draw against Real Valladolid.
10 minutes into his debut, his brother Inaki also came in off the bench in what was a landmark moment for the Williams family. It was the first time two siblings had been on the pitch at the same time for Athletic Bilbao since Julio and Patxi Salinas in 1986.
7. Nico Williams would have to wait till January 2022 for his first goal for Athletic Club Bilbao with a brace in a 2–0 win over Atletico Mancha Real in the Copa Del Rey.
The teenager had been heralded as a bigger prospect than his brother Inaki and his exciting performances earned him his first professional contract and a full promotion to the Athletic Bilbao first team on January 20, 2022, after meeting a number of clauses.
The rapid winger scored his first La Liga goal in a 4-1 win away at Elche on September 11, 2022, in the same game he was awarded man of the match. Coincidentally, his brother Inaki also scored his first La Liga goal in 2015 away at Elche in the same stadium.
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He wears ‘Nico’ on his shirt for his club Athletic Bilbao but wears ‘Williams Jr’ on his shirt in international games which do not involve Inaki. Nico Williams is currently regarded as one of the best youngsters in football.
8. Unlike his brother Inaki who plays for Ghana, Nico represents the Spanish national team and has done so across multiple age groups.
Nico first represented Spain with the under-18 squad in 2020, scoring two goals in four games. He was called up to the Spain under-19s in February 2021 and made his debut for the under-21s in September of the same year.
The progression in his national team career is indicative of the talent Nico possesses as he received his first call-up to the Spain senior squad for 2022/23 UEFA Nations League fixtures in September 2022.
On November 17, 2022, he scored his first and only goal for Spain so far in a friendly game against Jordan which they won 3-1 and was subsequently called up for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
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Nico played all four games for Spain in Qatar until they were knocked out in the round of 16 by Morocco. He has played eight times for Spain in total and has a goal and an assist each.
Maria Arthuer
9. Maria Arthuer is the mother of both Inaki and Nico Williams, both children which she had with their father Felix Williams. Maria and Felix both migrated from Ghana to Spain out of desperation through the Sahara Desert where they were abandoned.
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They walked through the desert barefooted while battling starvation, thirst, robbery and the other dangers of the desert and then crossed the Mediterranean Sea to get to Spain. When they finally made it to Spain and tried to scale the border fence at Manila, both parents were arrested, after which Maria Arthuer realised she was pregnant with Inaki. Maria recalls that a lawyer from a Catholic NGO saved them and has admitted to regretting the journey from Ghana to Spain due to the dangers and extreme conditions. Both father and mother were granted asylum which allowed them to live in Spain legally instead of being detained and deported for illegal immigration into the country.
She gave birth to Inaki Williams on June 14, 1994, at the Hospital de Cruces in Barakaldo, a municipality located in the Biscay province of the Basque country in Spain.
10. Following their release, the young couple were housed and sheltered by a Catholic priest who helped the couple get accustomed to their new surroundings and to adapt to life in Spain.
When Maria delivered the pregnancy in 19994, they decided to name him after the priest who helped them who was called Inaki Mardones, which is why the first child has a Spanish name.
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It was reported that Maria Arthuer was opposed to Inaki’s decision to represent Ghana ahead of Spain although the reason was never stated nor the report confirmed.
Both Inaki and Nico Williams will be forever grateful to their parents Felix Williams and Maria Arthuer for their bravery and sacrifice which is ultimately why both kids are now successful.
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