Ghana forward Iñaki Williams has been revealed to have played unknowingly with a two-centimeter shard of glass embedded in his left foot for two years, according to his club coach Ernesto Valverde.
The Athletic Club star recently underwent surgery to address a painful scar on his left foot, during which doctors made the surprising discovery of the glass fragment lodged in the sole of his foot.
Iñaki took to Instagram to share an image of the piece of glass that was removed from his foot earlier this week.
Valverde explained that the injury occurred two years ago during a vacation, when Iñaki stepped on a piece of glass, resulting in a deep foot wound.
"Iñaki Williams has broken a record for consecutive games played and has won a Copa del Rey whilst having a two-centimetre glass stuck in the sole of his foot," Valverde said on Friday. "It's amazing, but it's like that.
"He [Iñaki] has given me permission to tell this story because it is worth telling.
"For a few months he was reporting discomfort in his scar.
"He was undergoing treatment and after the Copa del Rey final -- on April 6 -- he had an MRI and he still had a glass stuck in the sole of his foot. When they stitched him up [two years ago], they left a glass of about two centimetres and it was already approaching the bone or a tendon.
"The doctor and I started laughing [when we found out] because we couldn't believe it."
The 29-year-old forward had an impressive run of 251 consecutive games for Athletic before a rare injury ended his streak in January 2023.
He has scored 14 goals in 39 appearances in all competitions this season and notably started alongside his brother, Nico Williams, in the Copa del Rey final win against RCD Mallorca on April 6.