Ryan Nyambe

Ryan Nyambe (born 4 December 1997) is a Namibian professional footballer who plays as a defender for EFL Championship club Derby County. He previously played for Blackburn Rovers and Wigan Athletic before joining Derby.

At Blackburn and Derby, Nyambe helped his teams move up to the Championship by finishing in second place in League One in 2018 with Blackburn and in 2024 with Derby. He is also part of the Namibia national team. In early 2026, he had a loan spell at Reading from Derby County.

Early life

Ryan Nyambe was born in Katima Mulilo, Namibia. He was raised by his aunt and uncle because his mother moved to England to study. When he was ten years old, in 2008, Ryan moved to Manchester to join his mother.

Club career

Ryan Nyambe started playing football in Namibia before moving to England, where he joined Blackburn Rovers in 2011 at age 13. He made his professional debut in 2015 and helped Blackburn return to the Championship in 2018 after finishing second in League One. Nyambe signed new contracts with Blackburn and later joined Wigan Athletic before moving to Derby County in 2023.

At Derby, Nyambe became a regular player and helped the team earn promotion to the Championship in 2024. He signed a new three-year contract with Derby in 2024 but faced several injuries, including a serious leg injury in October 2024. Despite these challenges, Nyambe returned to play and set a record for the most Championship appearances without scoring a goal. In January 2026, he was loaned to Reading for the rest of the season, where he made 19 appearances.

International career

Ryan Nyambe chose to play for Namibia, his birth country, in international football in May 2019. He made his first appearance for Namibia in June of that year, in a friendly match against Ghana in Dubai. Soon after, he was chosen to join Namibia's team for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.

Nyambe played his first official match for Namibia in June 2019 against Morocco. Even though Namibia lost the game, Nyambe played very well. He took part in all of Namibia’s matches during the tournament, but the team did not move on to the next round.

After missing a few games, Nyambe returned to the team in November 2019 for matches against Chad and Guinea. He continued to play for Namibia when possible, even after a break due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He was also part of Namibia’s team for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

Playing style

Ryan Nyambe says he tries to play like Rio Ferdinand. He mostly plays as a right-back, but he can also play as a centre-back, which is where he often plays for Namibia, and sometimes as a left-back.

Personal life

Ryan Nyambe is a big fan of the football team Manchester United.

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 2 May 2026

International

As of match played 21 January 2024

Honours

Blackburn Rovers

• EFL League One second-place promotion: 2017–18

Derby County

• EFL League One second-place promotion: 2023–24