Inaki Williams has ended his Ghana career at 32, leaving behind a record that is hard to reconcile with the expectations surrounding his decision to play for the Black Stars.
The Athletic Bilbao captain made 28 appearances for Ghana and scored just two goals, against Madagascar and the Central African Republic. He never scored at a major tournament for the Black Stars despite featuring at three of them: the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2026 World Cup.
His numbers alone make for uncomfortable reading, but perhaps there was more to his struggles than simply a lack of goals.
Williams spent virtually his entire life in Spain. Born in Bilbao and raised there, he came through the Spanish football system and built his professional career in La Liga.
Spain was also the country he initially wanted to represent. Before eventually choosing Ghana, Williams had already made one appearance for Spain in 2016, coming on as a substitute in a friendly against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
That appearance did not permanently tie him to Spain, but it underlined where his international ambitions had originally been.
For years, Williams had spoken about his dream of representing Spain. His eventual decision to switch allegiance to Ghana therefore came after a long period of being part of Spanish football and culture.
By the time he committed to Ghana in 2022, Williams was already 28.
That meant entering the Black Stars setup at an age when many international players had already spent years developing an understanding of their national team's football, teammates and culture.
Perhaps Williams never completely found that connection.
There were moments when his pace and movement offered Ghana something different. His ability to run behind defences and his experience at Athletic Bilbao made him an attractive option for successive Black Stars coaches.
But those qualities rarely translated into consistent end product.
His two goals came against Madagascar and the Central African Republic, while the biggest stages brought little from him in front of goal. Across three major tournaments, Williams failed to score.
That is particularly significant because Ghana have often struggled for goals in major competitions, and the arrival of a forward with Williams' experience was expected to help address that problem.
Instead, his international career became one where the anticipation surrounding him was rarely matched by his output.
Williams has nevertheless maintained that representing Ghana carried deep personal meaning.
In announcing his retirement, he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter:
I feel 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 every time I wore this shirt.
Ghana has given me much more than football. It has allowed me to come back… pic.twitter.com/6WkqhYwG2V
— IÑAKI WILLIAMS ARTHUER (@Williaaams45) September 11, 2026
“I feel 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 every time I wore this shirt.”
He also reflected on what Ghana gave him beyond football.
“Ghana has given me much more than football. It has allowed me to come back home, feel even closer to my roots and experience the enormous pride of representing my country and wearing this flag on my chest.”
Those words make clear that his decision was not simply about football. For Williams, the Black Stars offered an opportunity to connect with his Ghanaian heritage and experience representing the country of his parents.
That personal significance should not be dismissed.
However, international football is ultimately judged by performances and output. A player's intentions can be genuine while his contribution on the pitch remains below expectations.
For Williams, the final figures are stark: 28 appearances, two goals and no goals at a major tournament.
Perhaps the late switch mattered. Perhaps years of developing in Spain meant he never completely adapted to Ghana's football or found the same connection on the pitch that he had built throughout his club career.
Whatever the reason, the move that was initially viewed as a major addition to the Black Stars ultimately became a chapter defined more by expectation than impact.
Williams leaves with the pride of having represented Ghana and the gratitude of a player who says the experience brought him closer to his roots.
But when his Black Stars career is measured by what happened on the pitch, the numbers are difficult to defend.
28 appearances. Two goals. Zero major-tournament goals.
That will remain the most striking part of Inaki Williams' Ghana story.
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