Williams: ‘I want to be a reference for the youngest’

Iñaki Williams has talket to the media in the Jose Iragorri’s press room of the San Mamés Stadium to evaluate its renewal until 2028 by the Athletic Club. ‘When I arrived in 2013 my goal was to reach the first team and now I can say that I will be many years in the team in which I want to be’, began Williams. The forward referred to his red-and-white feeling to describe their emotions at a time that has defined as very important: ‘I want to be a reference, I want young people to feel reflected in the feeling that we have all players of the first team. I want people to be proud of what Athletic Club is all about. Recently, Aduriz decided to finish his career here and that’s what I dream about. I’ve been lucky enough to share changing room with people like him or Iraola, Gurpegi, Iraizoz … many years committed to the club and that’s the essence of Athletic: to be a kid and end up here as a veteran’.

The red-and-white 9 has recognised the interest of some teams during the last campaign, but has shown once again his involvement with the zurigorri project: ‘At Christmas there were one or two possibilities to be able to go out, but I feel very comfortable here. It wasn’t an opportune situation to be able to go out because I don’t leave my colleagues, my friends alone… I’ve never thought about changing my airs.  This contract is to celebrate it, and to be happy. It is a sign of fidelity. I have no other plan in my head than to be at Athletic Club’.

Williams has also explained his individual and collective objectives for the next nine years with Athletic and the possibility of sharing a team in the future with his brother Nico: “My dream, like all athleticzale, is to get the Gabarra out again. Bilbao beeing a party and that I will be part of it. And personally, scoring goals. I have the goal always in my mind and what I want is to score a lot of goals and reach the records of the great strikers who have passed through here. My brother? I’d love to fulfil dreams with him, I’ve always said that. That my mother would be proud of both of them. He has to work and it’s up to him to show it on the pitch, like I had to. Nobody gives you anything here, and if he proves it, we could possibly share the changing room’.