Athletic Bilbao striker Inaki Williams has revealed that he will never play for the Black Stars of Ghana despite overtures from the Ghana Football Association (GFA) to play for Ghana.

The striker was born in the Basque region of Spain to Ghanaian parents who sought asylum in Spain some years back.

Ghana has made attempts to convince the striker to commit his future to them but it has failed as he says he prefers to play for the land of his birth Spain.

He made his debut for Spain in 2016 in a friendly match against Bosnia Herzegovina which still makes him eligible to play for the Black Stars of Ghana.

Williams says he feels more Spanish than Ghanaian as he was born and bred in Spain although he has his roots to the West African country.

He told the Guardian, “I’m grateful to where I grew and became who I am. Ghana tried to convince me, but I was born in Spain, in Bilbao. I won’t ever forget my family roots, but I feel Basque and can’t con anyone. I would be comfortable with Ghana, I’m sure, but I shouldn’t be there …”

“And my mum knows how people love football there: it’s quite something, and she’d be worried about me.”

“When my mum’s angry, she swears at us in Ghanaian but we speak Spanish. When my parents came, it was English but we lost that. I could have a conversation in English but it’s not fluent now. When my grandparents call, I speak to them in Twi. I admire and love Ghana, the culture, food, tradition.”

“My parents are from Accra and I really enjoy going. But I wasn’t born or raised there, my culture’s here, and there are players for whom it would mean more. I don’t think it would be right to take the place of someone who really deserves to go and who feels Ghana 100%.”

Inaki grew up in the popular region of Basque and has been representing Athletic Bilbao since 18.

He made his senior team debut in 2014 and has worked hard to become an integral member of the team. Recently, he broke the record for most consecutive games in La Liga history as his side beat Alaves 1-0. The Spaniard, 27, played his 203rd successive match surpassing the record held by former Real Sociedad defender Juan Larranaga from 1986-1992.