Spain-born Williams to play for Ghana national team

Updated Jul. 6, 2022 8:43 a.m. ET

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MADRID (AP) — Spain-born Iñaki Williams will play for Ghana's national team.

The Athletic Bilbao forward made the announcement Tuesday through a video posted on his social media accounts.

“It's about time,” said a Twitter post by Ghana's national team. “Welcome to the Black Stars.”

The 28-year-old Williams was born in Spain from parents who reached a refugee camp in Ghana after saying they fled civil war in Liberia, then moved to the Basque Country region.

“I feel the moment has come for me to find my origins within myself and with Africa and Ghana, which mean so much to me and my family," Williams said on Twitter. “I want to return a small part of everything it has given to us, because Ghana has played a significant part of becoming who I am as a person, as a son and as a brother.”

He is one of five players to switch allegiance to Ghana ahead of the World Cup in Qatar.

Williams was a member of Spain's youth squads and made one appearance with the main team in a friendly against Bosnia in 2016. He had not been called up recently by current Spain coach Luis Enrique.

Ghana is in Group H of this year's World Cup in Qatar, along with Portugal, South Korea and Uruguay.

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