Inaki and Nico Williams' parents travelled to Bilbao from Ghana hoping the city would change their sons' lives. Their sons, in turn, have changed the city.
Inaki Williams always knew his brother Nico was special, even if his younger sibling used to get so nervous he would ask Inaki, already a star in Bilbao, not to watch his youth games at the Athletic Club academy.
It is a journey that began long ago, and a long way from Bilbao. Their mother, Maria, was pregnant with Inaki when she left Ghana with father Felix in search of a better life. Felix moved to London in search of more opportunities, working the turnstiles at Chelsea's Stamford Bridge, and Inaki - still a child - stepped in to help his mum raise Nico.
"Inaki had a very difficult life when he was very young," explains Athletic sporting director Mikel Gonzalez. "He knows what his responsibility is, so you can see him like a superhero. His mum is, for sure." On Saturday the brothers will try to help Athletic win a first major trophy in 40 years when they face Mallorca in the Copa del Rey final in Seville.
After a friendly appearance for Spain in 2016, Inaki chose instead to represent Ghana at international level. Nico meanwhile has committed fully to Spain, making four appearances at the Qatar 2022 World Cup. Both are also Basque. "That's unique in the world. You see people who have been season ticket holders all their lives and they don't watch other games; they only watch Athletic.
At Bar Ledesma, where Pena Los Inakis, a fan club dedicated to the older Williams sibling, meet, you can eat Athletic crisps and sip club-branded beer. Six final defeats, including two in as many weeks when the pandemic delayed a heartbreaking loss to rivals Real Sociedad, have followed. "Even when they argue, which we have seen a few times, like a brother discussion, it is so funny for us and we love it."In the successful 80s, when Athletic won back-to-back titles and the double in 1984, it became tradition for players to celebrate on a barge on the River Nervion.Pictures from those triumphs show a different Bilbao, an industrial city.
"It has been a process until we are seeing the sons or even the grandsons of those new Basque citizens that are starting to be really important for Athletic." Jones himself dismissed claims of racism, citing white players who experienced the same fate, and celebrated Inaki's emergence before his death in 2020. Perhaps more poignant than a trophy, then, will be the Williams brothers' legacy.
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