Ryan Williams

Portsmouth

Williams joined Portsmouth in July 2010, signing a scholarship with the clubs' academy side. There were initial issues concerning international clearance, with the FFA (Football Federation Australia) failing to release vital paperwork to allow Williams to play, but this was eventually resolved on 12 November. He played his first match for Portsmouth on 6 August 2010, in a friendly against Farnborough. His first competitive academy match for Portsmouth was a 4–1 loss to Chelsea. Williams was promoted to training with Steve Cotterill's first-team upon returning for the 2011–12 season. This culminated in 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. He went on to feature against Chelsea and travelled to the US with the first-team. Cotterill indicated that he was ready to promote Williams to the Portsmouth first-team squad, and Williams was selected to be on the bench for the Championship match against Middlesbrough with the 17 jersey. 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.

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…

Born in Australia to an Anglo-Indian mother and an English father, Williams was eligible to represent four countries: Australia, England, Wales, and India. 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 and at the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Turkey. He was called up to the Australia senior squad in May 2019 for the friendly game against South Korea on 7 June. He made his international debut as a second-half substitute in the game. In November 2025, Williams acquired Indian citizenship and had to surrender his Australian citizenship, as dual nationality is prohibited by India. On 18 November 2025, Football Australia issued him a No Objection Certificate (NOC), allowing him to officially represent India. On 19 November 2025, his request to switch international allegiance to India was approved by FIFA. On 13 November 2025, he debuted with India in a 6–1 unofficial friendly win over Bhutan, where he scored a goal. 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. India went on to win the fixture 2–1. In his third cap, a friendly against Panama on 25 September 2026, Williams opened the…

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. His maternal grandfather Lincoln "Linky" Grostate played for Bombay in the Santosh Trophy in the 1950s. 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. His father Eric Williams is a football manager who has coached clubs across Australia and Southeast Asia.

Williams is the younger brother of Rhys Williams and the twin brother of Aryn Williams, who are both also professional footballers.