Ryan Williams (footballer, born 1993)
Indian footballer (born 1993)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ryan Dale Williams (born 28 October 1993) is a professional footballer who plays as a winger for Indian Super League club Bengaluru FC. Born in Australia, and a former Australian international, he represents the India national team.
|
Williams with Oxford United in 2013 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ryan Dale Williams[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 28 October 1993 | ||
| Place of birth | Subiaco, Perth, Australia | ||
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | ||
| Position | Winger | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Bengaluru FC | ||
| Number | 10 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2010 | ECU Joondalup | ||
| 2010–2011 | Portsmouth | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2011–2012 | Portsmouth | 4 | (0) |
| 2012–2015 | Fulham | 2 | (0) |
| 2013 | → Gillingham (loan) | 0 | (0) |
| 2013–2014 | → Oxford United (loan) | 36 | (7) |
| 2014–2015 | → Barnsley (loan) | 5 | (0) |
| 2015–2017 | Barnsley | 21 | (1) |
| 2017–2019 | Rotherham United | 81 | (5) |
| 2019–2021 | Portsmouth | 67 | (8) |
| 2021–2022 | Oxford United | 33 | (2) |
| 2022–2023 | Perth Glory | 24 | (4) |
| 2023– | Bengaluru | 46 | (13) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2012–2013 | Australia U20 | 12 | (1) |
| 2015 | Australia U23 | 3 | (0) |
| 2019 | Australia | 1 | (0) |
| 2026– | India | 2 | (1) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 16:53, 4 April 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 7:12, 27 May 2026 (UTC) | |||
Early life
Williams was born in Perth, Australia. His mother Audrey was born to an Anglo-Indian family from Bombay, India, and his father Eric was born in Kent, England.[2] His maternal grandfather Lincoln "Linky" Grostate played for Bombay in the Santosh Trophy in the 1950s.[3][4] His mother Audrey Williams (née Grostate) also played football in England and then in Australia where she represented Western Australia in the national championships in the 1980s.[5][6] His father Eric Williams is a football manager who has coached clubs across Australia and Southeast Asia.[7]
Club career
Portsmouth
Williams joined Portsmouth in July 2010, signing a scholarship with the clubs' academy side.[8] There were initial issues concerning international clearance, with the FFA (Football Federation Australia) failing to release vital paperwork to allow Williams to play,[9] but this was eventually resolved on 12 November.[10] He played his first match for Portsmouth on 6 August 2010, in a friendly against Farnborough.[11] His first competitive academy match for Portsmouth was a 4–1 loss to Chelsea.[12]
Williams was promoted to training with Steve Cotterill's first-team upon returning for the 2011–12 season. This cumulated with Williams' making his first appearance with the first-team in a 4–0 win over Havant & Waterlooville, in which he produced a lively display, contributing an assist.[13] He went on to feature against Chelsea[14] and travelled to the US with the first-team.[15] Cotterill indicated that he was ready to promote Williams to the Portsmouth first-team squad,[16][17] and Williams was selected to be on the bench for the Championship match against Middlesbrough with the 17 jersey.[18][19]
He made his professional debut in the opening-day match against Middlesbrough, on 6 August 2011, after he came off the bench to replace Hermann Hreiðarsson in the 63rd minute, playing against his older brother Rhys, who scored in the match.[20]
Fulham
On 31 January 2012, Fulham announced the transfer deadline day signing of Williams from Portsmouth for an undisclosed fee, having impressed during a reserve game against Wolverhampton Wanderers the previous night.[21]
On 13 May 2014, following the relegation of Fulham and his conclusion to his loan spell, Williams signed a new two-year contract with the club.[22]
Williams signed for Gillingham in League Two on a one-month loan deal on 14 February 2013[23] but failed to make an appearance for the Kent club before being recalled by Fulham.[24]
On 3 August 2013, Williams joined Oxford United on loan until 1 January 2014,[25] and made his debut against Portsmouth at Fratton Park.[26] He scored his first senior goal on 28 September 2013 in a League Two win over Hartlepool United.[27] On 19 December 2013, Fulham agreed to extend his loan deal until the end of the season.[28] After making 35 appearances and scoring six times, Williams made his final appearance for the club against relegation battlers Northampton Town. Williams scored his seventh goal of the season to give his team the lead. However, towards the end of the first half he was sent off for kicking Ricky Ravenhill. Northampton Town subsequently took the lead and went on to win 3–1, which led to Northampton Town surviving relegation and Oxford United missing out of the play-offs.[29]
After being included in two matches for Fulham at the start of the 2014–15 season, Williams joined Barnsley on an initial one-month loan on 2 October 2014.[30] Williams made his Barnsley debut ten days later on 12 October 2014, in a 3–1 win over Bradford City.[31] Having made seven appearances, Williams' loan spell was extended until 1 January 2015.[32] However, Williams' first team appearances were soon reduced due to his international commitments[33] and he suffered a groin injury[34] before returned to his parent club.
Barnsley
On 26 July 2015, Williams re-joined Barnsley, but this time on a permanent basis for an undisclosed fee.[35] His first and what turned out to be only goal for Barnsley was a late winner in a 4–3 win at Cardiff City.[36]
Rotherham United
On 20 June 2017, Williams moved across South Yorkshire to join Rotherham United on a two-year deal.[37] On 30 May 2019 it was announced that he would leave at the end of the season, upon expiry of his contract.[38]
Return to Portsmouth
On 26 June 2019, Williams re-signed for his first club, Portsmouth.[39]
Return to Oxford
On 9 June 2021, Williams rejoined former club Oxford United when his contract expired at Portsmouth. He signed a two-year deal.[40]
Perth Glory
In June 2022, Williams left Oxford United to return to Australia, joining Perth Glory for an undisclosed fee, signing a three-year contract. He was welcomed back to Perth scoring an absolute stunner out of the box goal against Western United.[41][42]
Bengaluru
On 28 July 2023, Williams signed a one-year contract with Indian Super League club Bengaluru, with an option for a further year.[43] In his debut season, he scored three goals, earning the club's Player's Player of the Season award.[44]
In his second season, Williams scored seven goals and provided four assists as the club reached the 2025 ISL Cup final, where they lost to Mohun Bagan in extra time.[45] He was named Fan's Player of the Year at the end of the season. [46] On 24 October 2025, the club announced that Williams had extended his stay at the club.[47]
International career
Born in Australia to an Anglo-Indian mother and an English father, Williams was eligible to represent four countries: Australia, England, Wales, and India.[2]
Williams played for the under-20 and under-23 sides, representing Australia at U20 level at the 2012 AFC U-19 Championship in United Arab Emirates[48] and at the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Turkey.[49] He was called up to the Australia senior squad in May 2019 for the friendly game against South Korea on 7 June.[50] He made his international debut as a second-half substitute in the game.[51]
In November 2025, Williams acquired Indian citizenship and had to surrender his Australian citizenship, as dual nationality is prohibited by India.[52] On 18 November 2025, Football Australia issued him a No Objection Certificate (NOC), allowing him to officially represent India.[53] On 19 November 2025, his request to switch international allegiance to India was approved by FIFA.[54] On 13 November 2025, he debuted with India in a 6–1 unofficial friendly win over Bhutan, where he scored a goal.[55]
Williams played his first official match for India against Hong Kong on 31 March 2026 in the final third round match of the 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers. He scored his first international goal in the fourth minute, becoming the fastest debutant goal-scorer for India, surpassing the sixth-minute scoring record of K. Appalaraju and Mehtab Hossain.[56][57]
Personal life
Williams is the younger brother of Rhys Williams and the twin brother of Aryn Williams, who are both also professional footballers.[58]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 5 April 2026[59]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Portsmouth | 2011–12[60] | Championship | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 6 | 0 | |
| Fulham | 2011–12[60] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |
| 2012–13 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2014–15[61] | Championship | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | ||
| Total | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||
| Gillingham (loan) | 2012–13 | League Two | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oxford United (loan) | 2013–14[62] | League Two | 36 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1[c] | 0 | 42 | 8 |
| Barnsley (loan) | 2014–15[61] | League One | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[c] | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Barnsley | 2015–16[63] | League One | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[c] | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| 2016–17[64] | Championship | 16 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 17 | 1 | ||
| Total | 21 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 23 | 1 | ||
| Rotherham United | 2017–18[65] | League One | 42 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3[d] | 0 | 47 | 4 |
| 2018–19[66] | Championship | 39 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 41 | 1 | |
| Total | 81 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 88 | 5 | ||
| Portsmouth | 2019–20 | League One | 26 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 37 | 3 |
| 2020–21 | League One | 41 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 48 | 5 | |
| Total | 67 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 85 | 8 | ||
| Oxford United | 2021–22 | League One | 33 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[c] | 0 | 36 | 2 |
| Perth Glory | 2022–23 | A-League Men | 24 | 4 | 0 | 0 | — | – | 24 | 4 | ||
| Bengaluru | 2023–24 | Indian Super League | 16 | 3 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 18 | 3 | ||
| 2024–25 | Indian Super League | 18 | 6 | 1 | 1 | — | 7[e] | 1 | 26 | 8 | ||
| 2025–26 | Indian Super League | 12 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | — | 15 | 6 | |||
| Total | 46 | 13 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 59 | 17 | ||
| Career total | 319 | 40 | 24 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 22 | 1 | 373 | 45 | ||
- Includes FA Cup, AIFF Super Cup
- Appearance(s) in Football League Trophy
- Appearances in 2017–18 EFL League One play-offs
- Four Appearances and one goal in 2025 ISL Cup playoffs, three appearances in Durand Cup
International
- As of match played 27 May 2026[67]
- As of match played 31 March 2026
- India score listed first, score column indicates score after each Williams goal[67]
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 31 March 2026 | Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Kochi, India | 1 |  Hong Kong | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification |
