The 32-year-old Fulham player gave up his Australian citizenship to play for India: People thought I was crazy

Former Fulham player Ryan Williams gave up his Australian citizenship and chose to become an Indian citizen and play for the Indian national team.

Ryan Williams' maternal grandfather once represented Mumbai in the Santosh Cup in the 1950s. Following his grandfather's footsteps and playing football in India is a dream shared by Ryan and his twin brother Aylin.

Aylin played for Neroka FC in the late 2010s and once considered applying for Indian citizenship. But this idea was dissuaded and it was finally decided to give up.

However, Ryan did not back down due to many obstacles. This process began in the summer of 2023, when he joined the Indian Super League team Bangalore FC, which opened the 12-month mandatory period of living in India in order to apply for a passport.

The price for obtaining this passport is that he must give up his Australian citizenship, because India does not recognize dual nationality. Ryan's decision to give up his Australian citizenship aroused huge doubts, but he said: "The number of people who told me this was impossible could be counted on two hands. When I said I wanted to give up my Australian passport for an Indian passport, people looked at me like I was looking at a monster."

Ryan's wife encouraged him to honor his late grandfather by representing India. Ryan himself also hopes to inspire other Indian players to switch camps and represent the Indian national team.

Ryan will not get the opportunity to represent India in official matches in the short term, because India needs a miracle to qualify for the Asian Cup. But this is no big deal for the 32-year-old Ryan, who said: "It doesn't matter, I don't want to just have an impact on the field."

Next week's game against Bangladesh is too early for Ryan, but his goal is to make his national team debut next March in front of friends, family and many new compatriots.