Omanghana
Athletic Bilbao forward Iñaki Williams marked an emotional weekend by scoring his first La Liga goal of the 2026/27 season, just 24 hours after announcing his retirement from international football with Ghana.
Williams rescued a point for Athletic Club by scoring a late equaliser in their 1-1 draw against Elche at San Mamés.
Elche took the lead in the 50th minute when Facundo Buonanotte converted a penalty. The visitors held onto their advantage until Williams struck in the 79th minute.
The experienced forward reacted quickly to a goal-bound effort from Álex Berenguer, poking the ball into the net to restore parity for the home side.
Beyond his goal, the match represented another significant moment in Williams’ Athletic Bilbao career. It was his 515th official appearance for the Basque club, moving him above former Athletic forward Joseba Etxeberria, who made 514 appearances.
Williams is now fifth on Athletic Club’s all-time appearance list. He sits behind José Ángel Iribar, who holds the club record with 614 matches, as well as Óscar de Marcos, Iker Muniain and Txetxu Rojo.
His latest club milestone came a day after he officially ended his career with the Black Stars. Williams announced his retirement from international football on Friday, September 11, 2026.
The striker represented Ghana 28 times and scored two goals after switching his international allegiance from Spain in the summer of 2022.
He featured for the Black Stars at the 2022 and 2026 FIFA World Cups and also represented the country at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
Williams will now concentrate fully on his club career as he seeks to continue climbing Athletic Bilbao’s historic appearance rankings.
Source: Omanghana
