“Both in life and in football, Iñaki has opened many paths for me. Not just for me, but also for black people.” This statement is the seal of Nico Williams (Pamplona, 21 years old), one of the sensations of the Euro Cup. He is talking about his brother: Iñaki (Bilbao, 30). “You already know my story,” recalled Iñaki, at last year’s event in which his mother was awarded the Athletic ambassador badge. Félix Williams and María Arthuer, originally from Ghana, braved the Sahara desert to cross the fence of Melilla. They were looking for a better future; or simply a future. It was 1994 and María was pregnant. Months later, in Bilbao, Iñaki was born, who bears that name in homage to Iñaki Mardones, the priest who helped the couple settle in the Basque Country. 21 years later, Iñaki became the first black player to score with the Athletic shirt.
In 1995, according to UN data, the number of immigrants in Spain was close to one million, 2.51% of the total population. “I am here trying to represent all migrants in some way. It seemed that a black person could not play for Athletic, that you had to be the son of Olentzero to do so. But that prejudice has been erased,” Iñaki said. His dream jumped from Bilbao to Las Rozas. It was at a match in May 2016. “Iñaki has left a legacy. Before you could not see black players at Athletic, but today there are a lot of kids who are in the youth team. Before it was my brother and I. Today you can see a Latin, a Moroccan or a Guinean. It is a mix of cultures. And I think my brother has made it possible,” Nico concludes.
Williams, along with Lamine Yamal (Barcelona, 16 years old), are the only children of immigrants who wear the Spanish shirt in Germany. There could have been three if Alejandro Balde (Barcelona, 20) had not been injured. At the World Cup in Qatar there were four: Williams, Ansu Fati (Guinea, 21), Balde and Roberto Sánchez (Cartagena, 26). A multiracial team is beginning to emerge, a Roja different from the one Vicente Engonga experienced at the end of the last century. “My father, in Cantabria, was known as the black Vicente. And I think I was the first to play for Spain,” recalls Engonga (Barcelona, 58 years old), who has 11 caps for La Roja, part of the group that played in the Euro 2000.
Donato, who is black, played for Spain in 1996, as did Catanha at the 2002 World Cup and Marcos Senna at the 2008 European Championship. All three, however, are from Brazil. The current team also has players born abroad: Le Normand and Laporte (France), and Joselu (Germany). “It is in keeping with the times. Spain in the 60s and 70s was not a country of immigrants, as were France or Germany. I celebrate the mix in the sport I love. It improves the teams a lot,” adds the former Valladolid, Celta, Mallorca and Valencia player.
Between 1995 and 2010, the number of immigrants in Spain increased sixfold: from one million to around 6.2 million, according to the same UN data, published by Expansión. The Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) closely followed this evolution. “We analyse, depending on each generation, around 200 players per year,” explains Francis Hernández, coordinator of the Roja youth team; “we have carried out a very exhaustive work to have a database with names and surnames. From the generation of 1996 to that of 2010, we found 125 players who could play for two or more federations.” Among those 125 are Nico and Lamine. The Athletic player could have played for Ghana, like his brother Iñaki, and the Barcelona player for Morocco. “Lamine has a very important link with our country, as does Nico. Of these 125 players, 107 have chosen to play for Spain. 85% choose us. “They have been looked after here. They feel important, which is fundamental for a footballer,” explains Francis Hernández. Achraf Hakimi (Madrid, 26 years old), on the other hand, preferred Morocco. “During my youth years I was with Spain, but it wasn’t my place,” he stressed in an interview with Marca. The same goes for Alejandro Garnacho (Madrid, 20), who chose Argentina.
“I have always worked hard with Athletic to be (with the Spanish national team), but I have had to take another path,” recalled Iñaki Williams in an interview with EL PAÍS, about his decision to play for Ghana. Otto Addo, coach of the African national team, added: “Nico, on the other hand, decided to go with Spain. It may have been a good decision, but it is not easy.” The demographic map of Spain is evolving, and so is the national team. “We are at a time, compared to 15 years ago, in which racialized people are knocking on the door to have more representation. However, we see that this representation exists more in sport than in other areas,” explains Abdoulaye Fall, member of the European Commission’s Group of Experts on Migration. Sociologist Sebastian Rinken concludes: “It is one more symptom of the demographic change in Europe. And, as football is the sport with the greatest social acceptance and media impact, this change can have very positive effects.”
Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal have a powerful message at the Euros: they are not just talking about football, they are talking about a plural Spain.
You can follow EL PAÍS Sports on Facebook and Xor sign up here to receive our weekly newsletter.
_
