From the Desert to the Field: Inaki Williams’ Quest for Identity

Athletic Club football player Inaki Williams was 20 when a journalist asked him for his story, but he couldn’t tell anything particular as he didn’t know it. Everything changed in his young life as his mom decided to tell him the truth about their family story and how they reached Spain from Ghana.

Born and Raised in Spain

Life in Spain allowed Inaki and his brother to receive an education, practice a sport, and become football stars. Spain offers plenty of opportunities for fun and entertainment. It has a beautiful nature and open-minded people who love helping others, playing street music, dancing at local festivals, and spending all night among roulette tables and slot machines.

Spanish people can afford traveling, fun experiences, online betting at this new online casino in Spain, meeting new people, and sharing time for fun. Although Inkai has been living in a vibrant and colorful social environment in Spain, he had a vacuum inside his heart about his family’s origins. So, on an evening, his mom decided to clarify things for him.

The Escape from Ghana

Maria, Inaki’s mom, told him that they left Ghana and parted in a truck with over 40 people packed in the vehicle’s open back. Halfway through, the traffickers stopped and made everyone get off. They left them with nothing. Some of those people died. Those who continued on foot didn’t know what they would have met ahead. Inaki’s parents, without food or water, crossed the Sahara desert on foot. Also, many other emigrants didn’t make it. They could either give up the escape or die on the hot sands of the desert. Maria and her husband knew that it could happen to them, too. At that time, Maria didn’t know about her pregnancy. She followed her husband and Inaki’s dad Felix on the journey.

The Beginnings in Spain

As they arrived at Melilla, Spain’s North African enclave, they climbed the metal fence and entered the country. But the civil guard arrested them. Luckily, a Catholic lawyer from Caritas helped Maria and Felix by suggesting to tell authorities that they were escaping from a country at war. So, Maria and Felix declared to be from Liberia to receive political asylum. The lawyer helped them to reach Bilbao, where Inaki was born. That’s where Inaki’s life story in Spain started.

Then, the family moved to Pamplona, in a poor neighborhood. They met Catholic priest Inaki Mardones, who inspired Maria to name her baby after him. The priest became his godfather and helped his family with clothes and food. Felix found a job as a shepherd, then a cleaner on a building site, and many more humble jobs, until he moved to London alone to find better opportunities. He got a job in a fast food shop near Chelsea – a job nobody wanted. Meanwhile, Inaki’s brother was born, and their mum did two or three jobs at a time. Inaki learned to play football on the street with other kids in the neighborhood, which is where his football career started.

Inaki’s Life Dream

Eight years have been gone since Maria told Inaki about their escape from Ghana through the desert and over the fence in Melilla. Inaki, 28 years old, played his 203rd league game in 2021, which awoke something in his heart about his parents’ story and efforts to offer him and his brother a better life.

Hearing his parents’ story made him want to fight even harder to repay their sacrifice and the risks they went through on the way. As Inaki knew about his parents’ story, he changed his vision of life – all the African immigrants escaping the continent on boats reminded Inaki of their parents. Crossing the desert on foot on the sand at 40 or 50°C caused feet issues for Felix, but Inaki never knew that before Maria told him about their escape.

After knowing his origins, Inaki has been living with a big dream – playing for the national team of Ghana. It’s not just for himself. It’s a life change. Now, his brother Nico plays for Spain, while Inaki could finally join Ghana in 2021. He could crown his biggest life dream and get closer to his roots. In Ghana, Inaki could meet his grandparents and know that they played a role in helping his parents leave Ghana for a chance for a better life. Inaki’s early efforts in football helped his dad reunite with the family in Spain, while today’s efforts helped his family reunite with their grandparents and relatives in Ghana.