Ryan Dale Williams is turning out Indian football’s new hope after the Australian-turned-Indian gave the Blue Tigers a surprise lead in the first half of their FIFA Friendly against Panama at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru on Friday. India are ranked 94 places below Panama at 138th.
Ranked 44th in the world, Panama came into the clash after their show at the in the USA, Mexico and Canada. With 14 players from the World Cup squad, the CONCACAF side were left frustrated by the Indian defence in front of handful of spectators in Bengaluru.
Having failed thrice to keep his shot on the goal, Williams made sure he was fourth time lucky just five minutes from the half-time with Akash Mishra providing the assist. The Mumbai City FC footballer throws the ball to Bijoy Vargese, who plays it again to Akash.
The 24-year-old sends in a long ball from the left for Williams, who ran behind defence in front of Jones Cordoba Joseph Edward and Victor Mullins. Williams kept the ball on the far post and shot past Panama goalkeeper Marcos Reyes to give India the lead.
Williams became the second overseas footballer to give his birth country passport and represent Indian football team. He was born in Subiaco, Perth in 1993 to mother Audrey (from an Anglo-Indian family in Mumbai) and father Eric, who hails from the United Kingdom.
With Indian law prohibiting dual citizenship, Williams had to give up his Australian passport as the national sports policy requires only full citizens to represent the country. Even the OCI (Overseas Citizens of India) and PIO (Persons of Indian Origin) athletes also have to formally renounce their foreign passports before they can become eligible to play for India.
In the process, Williams became the second footballer after Japanese-born Arata Izumi to represent his mother’s country. Izumi played nine international matches for India from 2013 and 2014.
Following the retirement of Sunil Chhetri, the Indian football team needed an experienced leader in front of the goal, with Williams offering what the national team needed. The Australian forward started on an explosive note with his first goal for India in just four minutes on debut.
Williams found the back of the net against Hong Kong in the AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers in Kochi in the fourth minute – the fastest goal ever on debut for India. In fact, Williams’ maternal grandfather Linky Grostate was a part of the erstwhile Bombay team that defeated then-mighty Bengal in the 1956 Santosh Trophy semifinals.
Ryan Williams’ football career
After spending his initial years in Australia, Williams moved to england in 2010 and joined Portsmouth’s academy. He was promoted to the senior side a year later and made his debut against Middlesbrough. He also plied his trade for Fulham, Barnsley, Rotherham United and Oxford United across League One, Two and Championship football.
Williams returned to Australia at Perth Glory in 2022 in the A-League before shifting to India after just a year at Bengaluru FC in the Indian Super League. It was during his time at Bengaluru FC, that Williams made his mind of playing for India, encouraged by talismanic Chhetri.
At the international level, Williams represented Australia at the 2012 AFC U-19 Championship in the UAE and the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Turkiye. His only appearance for Australian senior side came in 2019 against Republic of Korea, featuring as a second-half substitute.
However, it was due to the fact that the Australia vs Republic of Korea was
Crucially, because that cap was earned in a non-competitive fixture, FIFA regulations permitted him to switch his national allegiance.
