Inaki Williams ends Ghana international career after 28 appearances

Inaki Williams has announced his retirement from international football with Ghana at the age of 32, ending his involvement with the Black Stars just months before CAN 2027.

The Athletic Bilbao forward confirmed the decision in a message on social media, saying he was leaving the national team with no regrets.

“I think the time has come to bring my journey with the Ghana national team to an end. I leave happy, proud and with the peace of mind of knowing that I gave everything,” Williams wrote.

Williams said his time with Ghana had given him a connection to his family heritage that extended well beyond his achievements on the pitch.

“Ghana gave me much more than football. It allowed me to return home, feel even closer to my roots and experience the immense pride of representing my country,” he added.

He also said he would continue to support the Black Stars “as one of you”.

Williams’ decision brings to a close an international career that began amid considerable debate. Having represented Spain at youth level, he had previously said he felt more Spanish and turned down approaches from Ghana.

However, he switched allegiance only a few weeks before the 2022 World Cup, a decision which led to accusations that he had chosen Ghana for opportunistic reasons.

His performances were unable to fully silence those criticisms. Williams scored two goals in 28 appearances for the Black Stars, without finding the net at either the World Cup or the Africa Cup of Nations.

The forward was used both through the middle and in wide positions, but he rarely appeared as dangerous for Ghana as he did for Athletic Bilbao. His pace and ability to run in behind defences were not consistently incorporated into the Black Stars’ style of play, while he often appeared short of understanding with his team-mates.

Williams had been expected to provide Ghana with one of its leading attacking threats after making the switch in 2022. Instead, his international record fell well short of the standards suggested by his club career.

His departure is therefore unlikely to be remembered chiefly for his goals or performances. Its significance is more personal.

Born in Spain to Ghanaian refugee parents, Williams is the older brother of Spain’s world champion Nico Williams. Representing Ghana gave him the opportunity to strengthen his relationship with the country from which his family came.

With CAN 2027 approaching, Ghana has lost one of the most prominent names available to its national team. Williams leaves the Black Stars with statistics that are modest, but with a sense that his time in Ghana colours gave him something those figures cannot measure.