Ryan Nyambe

Ryan Nyambe (born 4 December 1997) is a Namibian professional footballer who plays as a defender for Blackburn Rovers and the Namibia national team.[3]

Ryan Nyambe
Personal information
Full name Ryan Simasiku Nyambe[1]
Date of birth (1997-12-04) 4 December 1997[2]
Place of birth Katima Mulilo, Namibia
Height 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)[2]
Position(s) Defender
Club information
Current team
 Blackburn Rovers
Number 2
Youth career
0000–2015 Blackburn Rovers
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2015– Blackburn Rovers 133 (0)
National team
2019– Namibia 7 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 19:01, 5 January 2021 (UTC)

Born in Namibia, Nyambe moved to England during his childhood and signed for Blackburn Rovers' academy aged 13. He made his first-team debut in 2015 before making his league debut in the Championship the following year. He won promotion from League One with Blackburn Rovers in the 2017–18 season.

Nyambe made his international debut in 2019 and represented Namibia at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.

Early life

Nyambe was born in Katima Mulilo, Namibia, and grew up there alongside his aunt and uncle but he moved to Manchester, England during his childhood to join up with his mother, who had moved to England in search of education.[4][5][6]

Club career

Having previously played football for his school whilst living in Namibia, he joined a local team shortly after moving to England.[4] He joined Blackburn Rovers' academy aged 13,[4] and turned professional with the club in July 2015.[7] He made his first-team debut in August 2015 in the EFL Cup,[8][9] and made his league debut as a substitute in a 3–2 Championship victory over Brentford the following season.[10][11] His first league start came on 3 December 2016 in a 1–1 draw with Huddersfield Town.[10][12] The 2016–17 season saw Nyambe make 31 appearances as Blackburn were relegated to League One,[10][13] though Nyambe did receive their Young Player of the Year award.[14][15] In July 2017 he signed a new three-year contract with the club.[16]

Nyambe appeared 35 times in all competitions across the 2017–18 season despite suffering a hamstring injury in March as Blackburn were promoted back to the Championship after finishing second in League One.[17][18] Reflecting on Blackburn's promotion, Nyambe stated: "I'm very proud and it was great to enjoy the occasion with the fans."[18]

In April 2019 he signed a new two-year contract with the club.[19]

International career

In May 2019 Nyambe said that he was "excited" to represent Namibia, the country of his birth, at international level.[20] He made his international debut for Namibia against Ghana on 9 June 2019 in Dubai. On 23 June 2019, Nyambe made his competitive debut for Namibia in the first round of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations group stages against Morocco. Whilst the match ended in a 0–1 defeat, Nyambe was credited as having a man-of-the-match performance.[21]

Playing style

Nyambe has said that he models his playing style on that of Rio Ferdinand.[22] He is primarily a right-back, but can also play at centre-back and left-back.[23]

Personal life

Nyambe is a Manchester United fan.[22]

Career statistics

Club
As of match played 29 December 2020
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Blackburn Rovers 2015–16[24] Championship 000010—10
2016–17[10] Championship 2502010—280
2017–18[25] League One 29020103[lower-alpha 1]0350
2018–19[26] Championship 2901030—330
2019–20[27] Championship 3100020—330
2020–21[28] Championship 1900010—200
Total 13305090301500
Blackburn Rovers U23 2016–17[10] ———3[lower-alpha 1]030
Career total 13305090601530
  1. Appearances in EFL Trophy

International
As of match played 13 November 2020[29]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Namibia 201960
202010
Total70

Honours

Blackburn Rovers

References
  1. "Namibian teenager a hit in England... Simasiku comes of age". NewEra.com.na. 2 July 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
  2. "Ryan Nyambe". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  3. "Ryan Nyambe Profile". Soccerway. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
  4. Sharpe, Rich (27 March 2017). "'It was the first time I'd seen snow' - Blackburn Rovers youngster Ryan Nyambe on his move to the UK". Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  5. "Nyambe set for AFCON bow". www.rovers.co.uk. Blackburn Rovers F.C. 23 June 2019. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  6. "Namibia call up Blackburn Rovers defender Nyambe". 12 June 2019. Retrieved 6 January 2021 – via uk.reuters.com.
  7. "Darragh Lenihan: Blackburn Rovers midfielder signs new contract". BBC Sport. 1 July 2015. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  8. "Blackburn Rovers 1–2 Shrewsbury Town". BBC Sport. 11 August 2015. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  9. "Blackburn Rovers rising star Ryan Nyambe backed by right-back rival Adam Henley". Lancashire Telegraph. 10 August 2015. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
  10. "Games played by Ryan Nyambe in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
  11. "Teenager Ryan Nyambe under starter's orders to make full debut against Huddersfield". Lancashire Telegraph. 2 December 2016. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  12. Sharpe, Rich (4 December 2016). "Academy aces, set piece scares and endeavour shown: Blackburn Rovers 1 Huddersfield Town 1 - Talking Points". Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  13. Shepka, Phil (7 May 2017). "Brentford 1–3 Blackburn Rovers". BBC Sport. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  14. "Graham nets top award!". www.rovers.co.uk. Blackburn Rovers F.C. 26 April 2017. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  15. "Nyambe Rovers' Young Player of the Year". New Era. 30 May 2017. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  16. "Ryan Nyambe: Blackburn Rovers defender signs new three-year deal". BBC Sport. 21 July 2017. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  17. "Blackburn Rovers 2–1 Oxford United". BBC Sport. 5 May 2018. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  18. "Ryan relishing Championship challenge". www.rovers.co.uk. Blackburn Rovers F.C. 19 May 2018. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  19. "Ryan Nyambe: Blackburn Rovers defender signs two-year deal". BBC Sport. 23 April 2019. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  20. "Ryan Nyambe: Blackburn defender 'excited' to play for Namibia". BBC Sport. 4 May 2019.
  21. "Nyambe makes competitive debut for Namibia in AFCON". RoversChat.com. 23 June 2019.
  22. "Nyambe's footballing 'dream come true'". BBC Sport. 17 February 2017. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  23. "Ryan Nyambe - Defender - First Team - Blackburn Rovers". www.rovers.co.uk. Blackburn Rovers F.C. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  24. "Games played by Ryan Nyambe in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
  25. "Games played by Ryan Nyambe in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  26. "Games played by Ryan Nyambe in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  27. "Games played by Ryan Nyambe in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  28. "Games played by Ryan Nyambe in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  29. "Nyambe, Ryan". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmerman. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  30. Anderson, John, ed. (2018). Football Yearbook 2018–2019. London: Headline Publishing Group. pp. 54–55. ISBN 978-1-4722-6106-9.
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