Kamal Ghorui
Panaji: Ryan Williams has had queries from a few players of Indian origin, who were wondering if it’s worth following in his footsteps.The Bengaluru FC winger gave up his Australian citizenship and took up an Indian passport, which made him eligible to represent the national football team. The wait was long; more than two years, but when he finally wore the national team colours, he responded with a goal inside the first four minutes against Hong Kong.“If you were to ask me to write down a perfect script for my debut, it would be this,” Williams told TOI over a video call on Tuesday. “It was a long wait after missing the game against Bangladesh (due to paperwork). I imagined myself scoring on debut and it happened after (just) four minutes. As a footballer, sometimes you have to fight the demons in your head. There were a few before the game in terms of there’s a lot of hype around me because I’ve changed my passport. I wondered, ‘what if I don’t make an impact’?“I knew I would make an impact but to score in the first four minutes was a bit of a relief, to be honest. Then, it was pure joy because you understood what this journey took. It was more than two years. A lot of different things, lot of noes, and for it to culminate into one kind of pinnacle, was special.”Williams’ debut started and ended like a dream. India triumphed 2-1 against Hong Kong for their first win in the AFC Asian Cup final round qualifiers, the first in Kochi, and the first in a competitive game for almost seven months. The win, not surprisingly, sprinkled some positivity, much needed for a sport and national team that has been battered for a while.“Personally, if there’s any disappointment, it’s not being able to qualify for the Asian Cup, which would have been special for me. The Hong Kong victory was still important to win over a few people that almost didn’t believe in us, and that’s fair, because of our last results. The win helped bring positivity. We need to win more games because if the national team makes progress, supporters will be on our side,” said the Australia-born winger.The national team will hope to carry this positivity to London where India will make their debut in the Unity Cup, a tournament that features nations with large communities in the UK. There’s defending champions Nigeria, Jamaica, who missed World Cup 2026 qualification by a whisker, and new entrants Zimbabwe.For Williams, a return to the UK will feel like another dream. The winger, after all, kickstarted his professional career there and spent a dozen-odd years with popular clubs like Portsmouth, Fulham and Oxford United, before moving to Perth Glory.“We are playing at The Valley, home ground of Charlton Athletic, where I’ve played a couple of times,” said Williams. “When I left UK at age 28, I never imagined I would come back to play football, and now I’m doing it with the Indian national team. It’s crazy, so excited, couldn’t have picked a better place. For me, it’s the home of football in the world, everybody’s obsessed (with the sport). It’s also exciting for India to play against teams that will really test us. Not to say Hong Kong didn’t, but playing Jamaica, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, a higher level of opposition, will improve our game management.”Williams, 32, had to wait for more than two years to obtain an Indian passport. Along the way, there was lot of paperwork to be done, visits to the police stations too. Amid all this, his family, particularly wife, provided him with the biggest support, while JSW, the owners of Bengaluru FC, “stepped in and made a few calls which fast tracked the process.”“I would have obviously loved to join the national team when I came here at (age) 28-29, that would have been perfect, but even now it’s perfect for me. I feel fitter, stronger and faster than what I did three years ago. I thought I would have this process wrapped up by March 2025. But that wasn’t meant to be. There’s no point crying over spilled milk.“Physically, I feel great, mentally, better than ever. I feel I am ageing well in terms of my mentality and my body. I feel like I’ve become a little bit smarter, efficient. You see players getting better with age. If you can look after your body and keep mind fresh, then, who knows where we’ll be,” said Williams.That’s good news for Indian football.
