 Nyatanga while atDerby County in 2006 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Lewin John Nyatanga[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1988-08-18)18 August 1988 (age 36)[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Burton upon Trent, England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2005 | Derby County | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2005–2009 | Derby County | 63 | (4) |
| 2006–2007 | →Sunderland (loan) | 11 | (0) |
| 2007 | →Barnsley (loan) | 10 | (1) |
| 2007–2008 | →Barnsley (loan) | 25 | (0) |
| 2008 | →Barnsley (loan) | 16 | (1) |
| 2009–2013 | Bristol City | 105 | (4) |
| 2010 | →Peterborough United (loan) | 3 | (0) |
| 2013–2017 | Barnsley | 78 | (7) |
| 2016–2017 | →Northampton Town (loan) | 37 | (0) |
| Total | 348 | (17) | |
| International career | |||
| 2003–2005 | Wales U17 | 8 | (0) |
| 2005–2008 | Wales U21[2] | 10 | (0) |
| 2006–2011 | Wales | 34 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
 | This section needs to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(September 2017) |
Lewin John Nyatanga (born 18 August 1988) is a former Wales international[3]footballer who played as adefender. He played forDerby County,Bristol City,Sunderland,Peterborough United,Northampton Town andBarnsley in his career. He has made 34 international appearances for theWales national team, having previously held the record for the youngest player to represent the country when he made his international debut at the age of 17. In February 2018, it was reported that he had retired from football to focus on family life and is now a personal trainer.[3]
Nyatanga developed as a player throughDerby's academy, signing professional terms for the club in August 2005[4] and making his senior debut in aLeague Cup tie againstGrimsby Town, going on to feature in over half of Derby's league games during the2005–06 season, primarily at centreback,[5] scoring his first goal a 2–1 win overStoke City.
Despite starting the2006–07 season in the first team picture, Nyatanga lost his place in the first team and was loaned out to fellowChampionship sideSunderland for four months in October 2006. Whilst at Sunderland, Nyatanga played left back due to an injury toStephen Wright andClive Clarke leaving on loan. Sunderland bossRoy Keane was reportedly interested in signing Nyatanga in a £1.5m move in January 2007. Derby managerBilly Davies said there was a possibility that Nyatanga could join Sunderland permanently,[6] however, no bid was ever tabled by Sunderland.
Nyatanaga returned to Derby in January 2007, only to joinBarnsley a month later on a three-month loan deal.[7] Nyantanga helped the club to some vital wins during his time at Barnsley, including a surprise 1–0 win over promotion hopefulsBirmingham City and a vital 3–1 win away over relegation rivalsSouthend United. Nyantanga was recalled to Derby on 16 April after injury and suspension, respectively, to two key defenders inMichael Johnson andDarren Moore, left Derby with only one natural centre half.[8] In his first game after returning to Derby he scored the winner againstLuton Town on 20 April which sent Derby back into the automatic promotion places and relegated Luton. Nyatanga lost his place when Moore and Johnson returned, and was not in the 16 for the2007 Playoff victory.
Nyatanga signed a new 4-year contract in the summer of 2007,[9] and returned toBarnsley on a six-month loan shortly after.[10] He formed an impressive partnership withDennis Souza at the heart of Barnsley's defence, but was recalled byDerby in January 2008.[11] On 19 January 2008, Nyatanga scored on hisPremier League debut atPortsmouth in the 5th minute,[12] which gave Derby a 1–0 lead, though Derby went on to lose the game 3–1 after aBenjani hat-trick.[13] That was to be his only Premier League game of the season and his first of only 3 appearances for Derby that season, as he was sent back out on loan to Barnsley for the remainder of the2007–8 season.[14]
During the2008–09 season, Nyatanga was initially out of the first team picture, behindMartin Albrechtsen andDean Leacock. A season-ending injury to Leacock gave Nyatanga a chance to establish himself and he featured predominantly from November onwards, going on to make 30 league appearances, scoring once – the first in a 3–1 hammering offierce local rivalsNottingham Forest.[15] He also played in the League Cup semi final 1st leg againstManchester United, a game which Derby won 1–0.
On 14 July 2009, Nyatanga signed forBristol City and agreed a four-year deal.[16] He Scored his first goal for the club in a 2–2 draw with Newcastle United on 20 March 2010.
Nyatanga was injured during pre-season 2010–11, once recovered he was sent out on loan toPeterborough United to gain some match fitness.
On 9 July 2013, Nyatanga signed forBarnsley on a two-year deal following his departure from Bristol City.[17]
On 8 August 2016, Nyatanga was loaned toNorthampton Town for the season.[18] Nyatanga was released from his Barnsley contract at the conclusion of the loan.
Born inBurton upon Trent,Staffordshire, England,[1] Nyatanga qualifies for Wales through parentage, having been born to a Zimbabwean father and a Welsh mother. Nyatanga holds the records for being the youngest captain and youngest player ever to play for theWelsh Under-21s.[19] On 1 March 2006, aged 17 years and 195 days, he made his full international debut for Wales in a friendly match againstParaguay inCardiff, breakingRyan Green's record as the youngest ever Welsh international.[20] Despite his inexperience, with only 17 first team appearances for Derby behind him, he played "a key role" in the goalless draw.[21][22] Wales' match againstTrinidad and Tobago in May 2006 marked Nyatanga's second international appearance and also saw his age record broken by 16-year-old teammateGareth Bale.[23] He has mostly been a regular and was recalled to the U-21 team to help them qualify for the2009 European Championships but they narrowly lost 5–4 on aggregate to England in the play-offs.[24] His most recent appearance for Wales came in aNations Cup match versus theRepublic of Ireland in February 2011,[24] replacingSam Ricketts late in the 3–0 defeat.[25]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Derby County | 2005–06[26] | Championship | 24 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 27 | 1 | |
| 2006–07[27] | Championship | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 10 | 1 | |
| 2007–08[28] | Premier League | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 4 | 1 | |||
| 2008–09[29] | Championship | 30 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 35 | 1 | ||
| Total | 63 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 76 | 4 | ||
| Sunderland (loan) | 2006–07[27] | Championship | 11 | 0 | — | — | — | 11 | 0 | |||
| Barnsley (loan) | 2006–07[27] | Championship | 10 | 1 | — | — | — | 10 | 1 | |||
| 2007–08[28] | Championship | 41 | 1 | — | 2 | 0 | — | 43 | 1 | |||
| Total | 51 | 2 | — | 2 | 0 | — | 53 | 2 | ||||
| Bristol City | 2009–10[30] | Championship | 37 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 38 | 1 | |
| 2010–11[31] | Championship | 20 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 21 | 1 | ||
| 2011–12[32] | Championship | 29 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 31 | 0 | ||
| 2012–13[33] | Championship | 19 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 20 | 2 | ||
| Total | 105 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 110 | 4 | |||
| Peterborough United (loan) | 2010–11[31] | League One | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 3 | 0 | |||
| Barnsley | 2013–14[34] | Championship | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 12 | 0 | |
| 2014–15[35] | League One | 45 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2[b] | 0 | 51 | 5 | |
| 2015–16[36] | League One | 21 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4[b] | 1 | 28 | 3 | |
| 2016–17[37] | Championship | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 78 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 91 | 8 | ||
| Northampton Town (loan) | 2016–17[37] | League One | 37 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3[b] | 0 | 42 | 0 |
| Career total | 348 | 17 | 14 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 386 | 18 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wales | 2006 | 8 | 0 |
| 2007 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2008 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2009 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2010 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2011 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 34 | 0 | |
Barnsley
Individual
