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Inaki Williams suffers ankle ligament injury after playing 236 La Liga games in a row

Inaki Williams suffers ankle ligament injury after playing 236 La Liga games in a row

Inaki Williams hasn't missed a La Liga game for six years but has now picked up an injury that could keep him on the sidelines.

Josh Lawless

Josh Lawless

Inaki Williams' remarkable run of playing 236 La Liga games consecutively looks set to come to an end after he suffered an ankle ligament injury.

Incredibly, the Athletic Club striker has not missed a game in the top flight for over six years having always been fit and available for the Basque outfit.

But continuing the incredible stretch looks unlikely for the 28-year-old. He scored the opener in the 4-0 win over Cadiz on Monday but was forced off in the 54th minute with an ankle problem.

In an official statement, the San Mames side said: "Athletic Club striker Inaki Williams has sprained a ligament in his right ankle. He will undergo further evaluations and his progress will be monitored over the coming days."



Athletic are in action again on Sunday when they host Espanyol at San Mames and it would be some recovery for Williams to be able to play.

Williams has not missed a game since April 10 2016 and he obliterated the previous consecutive appearance record set by Juanan Larranaga, who played 202 games in a row.

Image: Alamy
Image: Alamy

Even worse for Williams, his unfortunate injury has come with three months remaining until the World Cup.

Williams has made his debut for both Spain and the Basque national team but has now switched international allegiance to Ghana, where his parents are from.

He has made himself available for the upcoming showpiece, where the Black Stars are in Group H alongside Portugal, South Korea and Uruguay.

There could still be one Williams lining up for Athletic as Ernesto Valverde will still be able to call upon younger brother Nico, 20.

He received a first-team contract earlier this year and has played 36 times in La Liga.

Featured Image Credit: Image: Alamy

Topics:Β Athletic Bilbao, La Liga, Ghana

Josh is a sports journalist who specialises in football and wrestling. He has been published by Curzon Ashton FC, Late Tackle, Manchester City FC, The Mirror, Read Man City and Manchester Evening News. He provides coverage of professional wrestling and has interviewed some of the biggest names in the field - including the first UK interview with The Hardy Boyz after their return to WWE. He has never sported a pair of Lonsdale Slip-ons, contrary to reports.

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