Three ways Ryan Williams' addition could benefit Indian football team

Ryan Williams will bring more balance to the Indian football team.

The Indian football team has been boosted by the addition of Bengaluru FC winger Ryan Williams ahead of their next AFC Asian Cup 2026 qualifier against Bangladesh. With the Australia-born winger securing an Indian passport recently, he has been selected for the Blue Tigers squad after being eligible to represent the Indian side.

Williams has already gained valuable experience playing in India. He has been playing for Bengaluru FC since 2023. The 32-year-old, who made one appearance for the Australia national team in 2019, will now play for India.

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FIFA rules state that a player can change allegiance to another international team as long as they didn’t play in a continental competition or the World Cup for a team. Considering that Ryan didn’t play for Australia in any major competition, he can now switch his allegiance to play for them going forward.

The addition of Ryan Williams will definitely bring in a breath of fresh air to the Indian football team. He has played for Fulham in the EFL Championship and has a lot of tricks up his sleeve. Here, we take a look at the three ways Ryan Williams’ addition could benefit the Indian football team.

3. Experience factor

The Indian national team has been struggling with a lack of balance in recent months. There is no right mix of players on their team. While Sunil Chhetri, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, and Sandesh Jhingan have much experience, the same cannot be said about everyone else.

The Blue Tigers have been quite vulnerable in the final third due to the inexperience of the forwards, especially, and the players are constantly making silly mistakes.

Fortunately, Ryan Williams is a player who could help bring more balance to the team. Even though Williams doesn’t have much international experience, he has made over 300 appearances in his domestic career and played in some really competitive environments.

Williams knows how to keep calm and be clinical against challenging opposition and won’t be one to let nerves hold him down in crucial international matches. He can also be a motivational factor for other players because of his proactive nature and driven attitude, and that can help the Indian squad prosper going forward.

2. Raising India’s goal contributions threat

A crucial aspect of Ryan Williams joining the India squad ahead of the Bangladesh clash is that he will bring something that many Indian forwards have failed to. The 32-year-old winger knows how to sniff out goals or at least create goal-scoring situations for his side, being a lively figure in the final third.

Unlike a lot of Indian wingers, who manage to get into promising areas before wasting chances with their poor final third, Williams is way more prolific in the danger areas. He has scored 13 goals and provided five assists in 46 appearances for Bengaluru FC so far. He had three goal contributions (two goals, one assist) in three AIFF Super Cup matches, too.

The 32-year-old is blessed with impressive pace and ability to confuse defenders with his movement, while he’s confident and doesn’t crumble in clutch situations. Williams’ ability to create chances from wide areas will help bring more unpredictability to the Indian attack.

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1. Versatility factor

The unique factor about Ryan Williams is that he isn’t really a ‘one-trick pony’ for his side. That is because the 32-year-old has shown himself capable of playing in multiple roles for his sides in the past, which includes his tenure at Bengaluru FC.

Williams is predominantly a right-winger who loves to make darting runs through the wide areas and move to the central channels whenever possible.

However, Williams is also versatile enough to play on the left wing, thanks to his ability to move forward and his impressive crossing skills. In fact, the 32-year-old can also play in a no. 10 role if necessary, because of his good final third passes.

The Bengaluru FC star is definitely a jack-of-all-trades when it comes to the forward positions, and his versatility will be a major boost for Khalid Jamil.

It’ll allow the gaffer to potentially fill a key attacking role with a proactive and unpredictable player like Ryan Williams, something that can also inspire those around him to step up as well.

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