About Ryan Nelsen
Ryan William Nelsen (born 18 October 1977) is a New Zealand former professional football player and head coach. Nelsen commonly played as a defender, and his professional career began in 1995. He notably captained the New Zealand national team and started his professional football career in his native country for Christchurch United. In 2001, he joined Major League Soccer side D.C. United. In 2005, he moved to England with Premier League side Blackburn Rovers. In 2012, he made a move to Tottenham Hotspur but only managed 5 appearances before joining Queens Park Rangers later that year. From January 2013 to August 2014 he was head coach of Toronto FC in MLS. However, Blackburn Rovers' attempt to sign him suffered a setback at first after the initial application had been refused due to New Zealand being ranked outside the top seventy in the FIFA World Rankings. He also, once again, successfully awarded a work permit on appeal after the initial application had been refused due to New Zealand being ranked outside the top seventy in the FIFA World Rankings.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.