Athletic Bilbao striker Inaki Williams missed his first La Liga match since April 2016 on Sunday after picking up a muscle injury, bringing his incredible record to a tragic end.
Inaki Williams didn’t play for Athletic Bilbao on Sunday… and it sounds innocuous, right?
Well actually, it’s the first time that’s happened in nearly seven years. The Spain-born Ghana international had previously featured in a staggering 251 consecutive league matches in a run that stretches back to April 2016 (that’s 2,468 days in total).
To put that into perspective, the last time he missed a league match, Leicester City were on the verge of sealing their maiden Premier League title, Barack Obama was in the White House, and TikTok didn’t even exist.
Injury-shy Williams tragically picked up a muscle strain during Athletic’s last game against Valencia in the Copa del Rey quarter-final, and had to watch on from the stands as his side were beaten 1-0 by Celta Vigo on Sunday.
His run of consecutive league matches, which is a La Liga record, completely dwarves that of Premier League (outfield player) record-holder Wayne Bridge, who played in a measly-by-comparison 110 matches in a row during his Southampton days.The actual Premier League record-holder is Brad Friedel, who racked up a whopping 310 consecutive league appearances while playing for Blackburn, Aston Villa and Tottenham … but, y’know, goalkeepers don’t count.
Williams had featured in every single Athletic league match since April 2016
Williams has been a mainstay (duh) in Athletic’s side since emerging from the club’s academy in 2015.
The 28-year-old has netted 78 goals in 362 appearances for the club, with his highest season tally of 14 goals coming in the 2018/19 season.
He earned himself a call-up to the Spanish national squad in 2015 and made his debut a year later, but switched allegiances to Ghana just before the World Cup last year after going six years without earning a second Spain cap.
