Inaki Williams: Athletic Bilbao and Ghana Star Discusses Possible First AFCON Appearance

• Inaki Williams is ready for his first Africa Cup of Nations appearance
• The Spanish-born Ghanian international played for the Black Stars in the 2022 World Cup
• The 29-year-old recently spoke about what the tournament means to him

Athletic Bilbao star Inaki Williams is gearing up for his first Africa Cup of Nations tournament with Ghana.

The forward only made his debut for the Black Stars last year, and is likely he will be included in Ghana's final squad for the 34th edition of the football showpiece.

The forward, who had played for the Spanish National team before, played for Ghana during the 2022 World Cup, which they exited at the group stage.

The 29-year-old was born in Bilbao to Ghanaian parents and has been a regular for Bilbao in the last few years. Ghana are hoping he will help them end their 41-year wait for an AFCON title next month.

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Williams recently told the Guardian that his family crossed the Sahara desert without food or water. He was happy to make his Black Stars debut

"It's a very special feeling to play my first game with my new team-mates for my country," Williams told BBC Sport.

"I was very happy to come in and make some contributions, I cannot thank the staff and squad enough for all the help. The hard work continues for the World Cup and hopefully I am going to enjoy the opportunity."

Williams will likely lead the line alongside West Ham superstar Mohammed Kudus.

Williams on playing at AFCON

The Bilbao striker, recently spoke about making his AFCON debut.

"It means a lot. It is a promise at the family level. It is something nice for me. My grandfather passed away last summer and I know that he would be very excited if he could play in this Africa Cup." via EuroFoot.

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Ghana are in Group B alongside Mozambique, Cape Verde and Egypt. Despite being one of the biggest football nations on the continent, Ghana have underachieved at AFCON.

Will they go all the way this time with the help of Williams?

Inaki Williams dedicates first Ghana goal to grandfather

Sports Brief also reported that Athletic Bilbao forward Inaki Williams dedicated his first Ghana goal to his 91-year-old grandfather, who convinced him to play for the Black Stars.

Williams switched nationalities in 2022 to represent the country of his parents despite making a few appearances for Spain, where he was born.

The 29-year-old scored his debut Ghana goal as the Black Stars defeated Madagascar to get off to a winning start in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.