Iñaki Williams

This name uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Williams and the second or maternal family name is Arthuer.
Iñaki Williams
Personal information
Full name Iñaki Williams Arthuer
Date of birth (1994-06-15) 15 June 1994
Place of birth Bilbao, Spain
Height 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Playing position Forward
Club information
Current team
 Athletic Bilbao
Number 11
Youth career
Natación Pamplona
2009–2012 Pamplona
2012 Athletic Bilbao Juvenil
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2012–2013 Basconia 18 (7)
2013–2015 Bilbao Athletic 32 (21)
2014– Athletic Bilbao 52 (10)
National team‡
2015– Spain U21 10 (2)
2016– Spain 1 (0)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 16 October 2016.

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 15 November 2016

Iñaki Williams Arthuer (born 15 June 1994) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays for Athletic Bilbao as a forward.[1]

Club career

Born in Bilbao, Biscay to a Ghanaian father and a Liberian mother,[2] Williams joined Athletic Bilbao's Lezama youth system in 2012 at age 18. In the same year he made his debut as a senior, playing for the farm team which competed in Tercera División.

On 25 June 2013, Williams signed a new contract with the Basque club, running until 2017,[3] and was subsequently promoted to the reserves in Segunda División B. After suffering a knee injury in August,[4] he returned to activity in October,[5] and appeared in 14 matches during the season, scoring eight goals.

At the start of 2014–15, Williams scored a hat-trick in a 4–0 win over SD Amorebieta,[6] and followed this on 7 September 2014 with another treble in a 5–1 rout of SD Leioa.[7] Despite only playing the first half of the campaign, his 13 goals from 18 games helped the team ascend to Segunda División.

On 6 December 2014, after profitting from Aritz Aduriz's injury,[8] Williams made his first-team – and La Liga – debut, starting in a 0–1 home loss against Córdoba CF.[9] He netted his first goal on 19 February of the following year, starting and contributing to a 2–2 draw at Torino F.C. for the UEFA Europa League's round-of-32,[10] becoming in the process the first black player to score for the club.[11]

On 17 May 2015, Williams scored his first goal in the top flight, netting a last-minute winner in a 3–2 away success over Elche CF to help Athletic come from behind 0–2.[12] Thirteen days later, he headed a consolation goal in the 1–3 loss to FC Barcelona in the final of the Copa del Rey at the Camp Nou.[13]

Williams scored a brace before giving away a penalty in Athletic's 3–1 win away to Real Betis, on 1 November 2015.[14] He repeated the feat the following match, at home against FK Partizan in the Europa League group stage (5–1).[15] Finding the net in his third match running, he scored "a phenomenal volley" to help beat RCD Espanyol 2–1 at the San Mamés.[16]

In late January 2016, having been scouted by the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City, Williams agreed to an extension of his contract until 2021. The deal included a €50 million buyout clause.[17] He was sent off on 6 February at the end of a goalless home draw with Villarreal CF, together with opponent Daniele Bonera.[18]

International career

On 20 March 2015, Williams received his first international call-up, being named in Albert Celades' Spain under-21 squad for friendlies with Norway and Belarus.[19] He made his debut on the 26th against the former, replacing goalscorer Munir El Haddadi at half-time of a 2–0 friendly win in Cartagena.[20]

Williams was one of 11 stand-by players for Vicente del Bosque's Spain squad at UEFA Euro 2016.[21] Around the same time, he was also coveted by the Ghanaian national team by their Spanish scout Gerard Nus.[22] He made his debut for the former on 29 May, replacing fellow debutant Marco Asensio at the hour mark of a 3–1 friendly defeat of Bosnia and Herzegovina.[23]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 16 October 2016[24][25]
Club Season League Cup Continental Total
LeagueAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Bilbao Athletic 2013–14 Segunda División B 148 — —148
2014–15 1813 — —1813
Total 322100003221
Athletic Bilbao 2014–15 La Liga 1914121253
2015–16 25853723713
2016–17 810030111
Total 5210941237317
Career total 84319412310538

References

  1. ↑ "Iñaki Williams, la pantera de Lezama" [Iñaki Williams, Lezama's panther]. La República (in Spanish). 7 May 2015. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
  2. ↑ "Williams set to be called up for the Champions League". Diario AS. 9 December 2014. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
  3. ↑ "El Athletic blinda a una de sus joyas del juvenil: Iñaki Williams" [Athletic shields one of its youth squad gems: Iñaki Williams]. Diario AS (in Spanish). 25 June 2013. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
  4. ↑ "Iñaki Williams, de 2 a 5 meses de baja" [Iñaki Williams, from 2 to 5 months out]. El Correo (in Spanish). 15 August 2013. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
  5. ↑ "Iñaki Williams regresa con gol" [Iñaki Williams returns with a goal]. El Correo (in Spanish). 15 October 2013. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
  6. ↑ "Williams, con tres goles, abandera a un letal Bilbao Athletic" [Williams, with three goals, spearheads a lethal Bilbao Athletic] (in Spanish). El Desmarque. 25 August 2014. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
  7. ↑ "El Athletic comienza el blindaje de Iñaki Williams" [Athletic start shielding Iñaki Williams] (in Spanish). Goal.com. 10 September 2014. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
  8. ↑ "Vía libre para el joven Iñaki Williams por la lesión de Aduriz" [Freeway to young Iñaki Williams due to Aduriz's injury]. Diario AS (in Spanish). 5 December 2014. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
  9. ↑ "Ghilas devuelve la sonrisa al Córdoba" [Ghilas brings the smiles back to Córdoba]. Marca (in Spanish). 6 December 2014. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
  10. ↑ "Honours even between Torino and Athletic". UEFA.com. 19 February 2015. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
  11. ↑ "Inaki Williams becomes first black Athletic Bilbao goalscorer in 117-year history". Sky Sports. 20 February 2015. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
  12. ↑ "Williams señala a Europa" [Williams points to Europe]. Marca (in Spanish). 17 May 2015. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
  13. ↑ "Lionel Messi double gives Barcelona Cup final win over Athletic Bilbao". The Guardian. 30 May 2015. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
  14. ↑ "Williams fires improving Bilbao to victory at Betis". Eurosport. 1 November 2015. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
  15. ↑ "Williams at the double as Athletic go clear". UEFA.com. 5 November 2015. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
  16. ↑ "Inaki Williams scores phenomenal volley for Athletic Bilbao against Espanyol". Sky Sports. 8 November 2015. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
  17. ↑ Aarons, Ed (21 January 2016). "Athletic Bilbao's Iñaki Williams signs new contract with €50m release clause". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  18. ↑ "Torres grabs 100th Atletico goal in win over Eibar". Reuters. 6 February 2016. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
  19. ↑ "Williams, a la sub-21" [Williams, to the under-21]. El País (in Spanish). 20 March 2015. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
  20. ↑ Muñoz, Antonio D. (26 March 2015). "Spain beats Norway and strengthens the team (2–0)". Royal Spanish Football Federation. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  21. ↑ "Euro 2016: Costa and Mata dropped from Spain's provisional squad". Yahoo! Sports. 17 May 2016. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
  22. ↑ Narkortu Teye, Prince (2 May 2016). "Gerard Nus: Inaki Williams could play for Ghana". Goal.com. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
  23. ↑ "Nolito endulza un duelo atípico" [Nolito sweetens an atypical duel] (in Spanish). Marca. 29 May 2016. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
  24. ↑ "Iñaki Williams". Soccerway. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
  25. ↑ "Williams". Athletic Bilbao. Retrieved 22 August 2016.

External links

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