Ronald Koeman and Everton are hoping that £10m signing Ashley Williams can improve the Toffees' defensive record, but the former Swansea City captain has revealed how he changed something else in football for the better.
Speaking to "?the "?Liverpool Echo, the 32-year-old Wales international explained how he had a helping in Subbuteo introducing black players when he was nine-years-old.
"Yes, it is true that I wrote to the company that makes Subbuteo,"? Williams said.
? | Ashley Williams already building a promising defensive partnership with @PJags06 - even after one full game. pic.twitter.com/bp3o9a283N
"I don't really remember too much about it, but I asked my mum why there were no black players in my England teams.
"There was no John Barnes or Des Walker and I wanted to know why."? My mum thought it was a good question, so we sent in a letter.
"I didn't stand on a mountain shouting about it. I was just a kid asking a question. But they changed it. They introduced black players "? and they also sent me a load of Subbuteo stuff.
"The only problem was that I didn't play the game properly and I ended up breaking most of it!"?
Williams, who led his country through a memorable Euro 2016 campaign all the way to the semi-finals, also said he is excited to get started at Everton following his switch from the Liberty Stadium and opened up about how he developed his exceptional leadership qualities.
"I went on holiday and was back in at Swansea working on my fitness when the move to Everton happened. It's a new challenge for me and that is a good thing for me at this stage of my career."?
"One thing I have learned over the years is that you don't just shout for the sake of it. When people say that you should talk more, they don't mean it's OK to start shouting for absolutely no reason.
"It's about getting to know players and knowing which buttons to press."
Have you read @prenno's interview with Ashley Williams yet? #EFC https://t.co/o0VOngNOWm