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Home / Namibian teenager a hit in England… Simasiku comes of age
Namibian teenager a hit in England… Simasiku comes of age
2015-07-02Staff Report 2 "Windhoek From humble beginnings in the dusty streets of Katima Mulilo to the bright lights of Britain – safe to say that an unknown young footballer is on the threshold of getting his name engraved in the golden pages of our national archives. Born Ryan Simasiku Nyambe in Katima Mulilo on 4th December 1997, and barely out of his pair of shorts at the age of 9, Ryan migrated to Britain to be reunited with his mother Selma Chaka, in Blackburn, Lancashire, England. However, little did the football crazy boy know that the long and winding journey across the Mediterranean Sea would become the ultimate destiny to the promised land of milk and honey. And while Namibians are cruising on cloud nine - celebrating the Brave Warriors’ historic win in the regional Cosafa Senior Challenge, Ryan is making waves far away from his native land. Having spent a significant chunk of his formative years abroad in the UK, Ryan’s posh English accent can be easily mistaken for an English-born immigrant from the Caribbean but the determined teenager is a pure son of the soil. The versatile Ryan is on the books of former English Premiership outfit Blackburn Rovers and can play in every position and do a decent job at it, but he mainly operates at right back or in the centre of defence. A fantastic athlete with great pace and phenomenal attitude, despite being under age, the Zambezi born defender caught the eye of the neutral fan in several games for his club’s Under-18’s last season. He quickly graduated a notch up and became a regular member of the Riversiders’ development squad during the current term. Growing up in his native Katima Mulilo, Ryan found himself in Windhoek at the tender age of eight to begin tuition at the Emma Hoogenhout Primary School under the care of his aunt Bernadette Nyambe. Rovers boast a sound repertoire of African footballers and previously had South Africans Benny McCarthy and Aaron Mokoena, as well as Nigerian striker Yakubu Aiyegbeni on their books. " 2015-07-02Staff Report 2
