Iñaki Williams
File:Iñaki Williams con el Athletic Club.jpg | |||
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Iñaki Williams Arthuer | ||
Date of birth | 15 June 1994 | ||
Place of birth | Bilbao, Spain | ||
Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
Position(s) | Forward | ||
Team 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) |
International career‡ | |||
2015– | Spain U21 | 8 | (2) |
2016– | Spain | 1 | (0) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 16 October 2016 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 10 October 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
Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Total | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
League | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Bilbao Athletic | 2013–14 | Segunda División B | 14 | 8 | — | — | 14 | 8 | ||
2014–15 | 18 | 13 | — | — | 18 | 13 | ||||
Total | 32 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 21 | ||
Athletic Bilbao | 2014–15 | La Liga | 19 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 25 | 3 |
2015–16 | 25 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 37 | 13 | ||
2016–17 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | ||
Total | 48 | 9 | 9 | 4 | 10 | 3 | 67 | 16 | ||
Career total | 80 | 30 | 9 | 4 | 10 | 3 | 99 | 37 |
References
- ^ "Iñaki Williams, la pantera de Lezama". La República (in Spanish). 7 May 2015. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
{{cite web}}
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suggested) (help) - ^ "Williams set to be called up for the Champions League". Diario AS. 9 December 2014. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
- ^ "El Athletic blinda a una de sus joyas del juvenil: Iñaki Williams". Diario AS (in Spanish). 25 June 2013. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|trans_title=
ignored (|trans-title=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Iñaki Williams, de 2 a 5 meses de baja". El Correo (in Spanish). 15 August 2013. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|trans_title=
ignored (|trans-title=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Iñaki Williams regresa con gol". El Correo (in Spanish). 15 October 2013. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|trans_title=
ignored (|trans-title=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Williams, con tres goles, abandera a un letal Bilbao Athletic" (in Spanish). El Desmarque. 25 August 2014. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
{{cite news}}
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ignored (|trans-title=
suggested) (help) - ^ "El Athletic comienza el blindaje de Iñaki Williams" (in Spanish). Goal.com. 10 September 2014. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
{{cite news}}
: Unknown parameter|trans_title=
ignored (|trans-title=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Vía libre para el joven Iñaki Williams por la lesión de Aduriz". Diario AS (in Spanish). 5 December 2014. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|trans_title=
ignored (|trans-title=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Ghilas devuelve la sonrisa al Córdoba". Marca (in Spanish). 6 December 2014. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|trans_title=
ignored (|trans-title=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Honours even between Torino and Athletic". UEFA.com. 19 February 2015. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
- ^ "Inaki Williams becomes first black Athletic Bilbao goalscorer in 117-year history". Sky Sports. 20 February 2015. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
- ^ "Williams señala a Europa". Marca (in Spanish). 17 May 2015. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
{{cite web}}
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ignored (|trans-title=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Lionel Messi double gives Barcelona Cup final win over Athletic Bilbao". The Guardian. 30 May 2015. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
- ^ "Williams fires improving Bilbao to victory at Betis". Eurosport. 1 November 2015. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
- ^ "Williams at the double as Athletic go clear". UEFA.com. 5 November 2015. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
- ^ "Inaki Williams scores phenomenal volley for Athletic Bilbao against Espanyol". Sky Sports. 8 November 2015. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
- ^ Aarons, Ed (21 January 2016). "Athletic Bilbao's Iñaki Williams signs new contract with €50m release clause". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
- ^ "Torres grabs 100th Atletico goal in win over Eibar". Reuters. 6 February 2016. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
- ^ "Williams, a la sub-21". El País (in Spanish). 20 March 2015. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
{{cite news}}
: Unknown parameter|trans_title=
ignored (|trans-title=
suggested) (help) - ^ Muñoz, Antonio D. (26 March 2015). "Spain beats Norway and strengthens the team (2–0)". Royal Spanish Football Federation. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
- ^ "Euro 2016: Costa and Mata dropped from Spain's provisional squad". Yahoo! Sports. 17 May 2016. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
- ^ Narkortu Teye, Prince (2 May 2016). "Gerard Nus: Inaki Williams could play for Ghana". Goal.com. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
- ^ "Nolito endulza un duelo atípico" (in Spanish). Marca. 29 May 2016. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|trans_title=
ignored (|trans-title=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Iñaki Williams". Soccerway. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
- ^ "Williams". Athletic Bilbao. Retrieved 22 August 2016.
External links
- Iñaki Williams at Athletic Bilbao
- Iñaki Williams at BDFutbol
- Iñaki Williams at National-Football-Teams.com
- 1994 births
- Living people
- Spanish people of Ghanaian descent
- Spanish people of Liberian descent
- Sportspeople from Bilbao
- Spanish footballers
- Basque footballers
- Association football forwards
- La Liga players
- Segunda División B players
- Tercera División players
- CD Basconia footballers
- Bilbao Athletic footballers
- Athletic Bilbao footballers
- Spain under-21 international footballers
- Spain international footballers