Panama friendly: Who is Ryan Williams, the 'outsider' who set it up for India?

• India produced an impressive display to hold 44th-ranked Panama to a 1-1 draw in Bengaluru, with Ryan Williams scoring his first goal at the Kanteerava Stadium for the national side.

• Williams, who surrendered his Australian passport to obtain Indian citizenship, continued his promising start to international football after becoming the first player of Indian origin to represent India in an AFC Asian Cup qualifier.

• The draw sets India up for their next major challenge — Brazil in Kolkata on 3 October — before they face Uruguay in the final FIFA friendly.

From whipping boys to the toast of the nation — this has been the story of the Indian football team as they punched well above their weight to hold 44th-ranked Panama to a 1-1 draw in the first of their FIFA friendlies in Bengaluru.

While it took a can-do attitude and remarkable consistency from the Blue Tigers over 90 minutes, at the heart of it all was a Perth-born new No. 10 called Ryan Williams.

If a lack of scoring ability has undone all the good work in Indian football for as long as one can remember — more so since the exit of Sunil Chhetri — Williams set the tone with a clinical finish in the 41st minute. Substitute Omar Valencia equalised for Panama in the 68th with a stunner, but the scoreline told only part of the story.

Speaking to the media ahead of the match, India head coach Khalid Jamil had said his side would not resort to defending all evening. Few, however, expected them to actually take the game to an opponent ranked 94 places above them and fresh from competing at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

India were arguably the better side for long periods and came within 22 minutes of an extraordinary victory, making it a special night for Indian football.

The green light for 32-year-old Williams to become the first player of Indian origin to represent India in an AFC Asian Cup qualifier, against Hong Kong earlier this year, was a step in the right direction. He found the net in that match too, and there is no gainsaying that the All India Football Federation (AIFF) should continue to explore the possibility of bringing in players of Indian origin when the team’s requirements demand it.

What makes Williams’ story particularly significant is his willingness to surrender his Australian passport in favour of an Indian one, as India’s citizenship rules do not permit dual citizenship.

Speaking after making his debut in March, Williams said in an interview: "All of my mum’s family (of Anglo-Indian descent), which is the Indian side of my family, are in Perth. That’s who I grew up with. So when we went around my nana’s (maternal grandmother's) house, it was always Indian food and loads of uncles, aunties and cousins everywhere. There was always that importance to family, and coming to India and seeing that was kind of like putting two and two together."

On his decision to acquire an Indian passport — a move that has deterred many players in the past — Williams said: "It came to a point where it was actually my wife who said: Why don’t you just get the passport and let’s stay here. Let’s really push for this. Without my wife, I don’t think this would have happened because at that time, everybody was telling me no, and we just said, Let’s stay. And in the end, perseverance prevailed."

Williams came through the youth ranks at Portsmouth and also played for clubs including Barnsley and Perth Glory before moving to India in 2023 and joining the Indian Super League. He was close to making his India debut against Bangladesh in Dhaka last November after acquiring his citizenship, but a bureaucratic delay in obtaining the No Objection Certificate (NOC) put a spanner in the works.

There has been an almost emotional connect between Williams and the Kanteerava Stadium, the venue for Friday’s match, as this was where he made his ISL debut for Bengaluru FC in 2023.

He had been looking forward to what he described as a real full-circle moment, and the crucial goal against Panama must have made his ‘homecoming’ all the more special.

"It’s going to be special in every way, shape and form. I started my Indian footballing career here in Bangalore, and who would have thought three years ago that I would have been pulling on the jersey for India. It’s amazing. It’s a real full-circle moment," he told the AIFF media.

Come next Saturday, 3 October, the biggest of India’s three opponents in this FIFA friendly window looms as they take on the Selecao in Kolkata.

The performance against Panama has served as the perfect scene-setter for the Brazil and Uruguay matches — and Williams will have to put his best foot forward again if India are to mount a challenge of sorts.