Curtis Alexander Nelson (born 21 May 1993) is an English professional footballer who plays as a centre back for EFL Championship club Derby County.
[5] He is a cousin of sprinters Ashleigh[6] and Alexander Nelson[7] and his younger brother Wes appeared in series 4 of the reality TV show Love Island in 2018.
[8] His performances in the 2009–10 season for the youth team and reserves, in both defence and midfield, earned him a place in the first-team squad for the club's final match of the campaign against Peterborough United.
"[10] He made his first-team debut on 10 August 2010 in the League Cup against Notts County, replacing Anton Peterlin as a second-half substitute.
[17] Nelson began the new season in the team, but lost his place in November after the club signed Maxime Blanchard and Darren Purse.
[16] A knee injury in December meant a lengthy spell on the sidelines and new manager Carl Fletcher stressed that it was important Nelson took as long as he needed to make a full recovery.
[23] On 4 July 2016, Nelson signed for newly promoted League One club Oxford United on a two-year contract,[24] later extended by a year.
[27] He suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon during a home defeat to Northampton Town in November 2017 and was ruled out for the remainder of the season,[28] teammate John Mousinho replacing him as captain.
[32] Nelson signed for newly relegated Championship club Cardiff City on 27 June 2019 on a free transfer on a two-year contract.
[36] On 28 January 2023, Nelson signed for Championship side Blackpool on a deal until the end of the season after leaving Cardiff by mutual consent.
His reputation for being a solid, reliable central defender who makes minimal mistakes was maintained in spite of the higher level of opposition shown in the Championship.