Nile Ranger (born 11 April 1991) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for Kettering Town.
Previously with Crystal Palace and Southampton, Ranger finished his youth career at Newcastle United, where he made his professional debut and was part of their team which won the Football League Championship in 2009–10.
After leaving Newcastle by mutual consent in 2013, he went on to play for Swindon Town, Blackpool and Southend United in the English Football League, with his spells at all three clubs being hindered by disciplinary issues including multiple absences from training.
[8] He returned to Southampton after completing his sentence, but was eventually released as a player with a bad reputation after he stole boots, training kit and a staff member's box of chocolates.
[12] Ranger's Newcastle debut came as an added-time substitute for Shola Ameobi against West Bromwich Albion in the Championship on 8 August 2009.
[13] He made his first senior start against Leicester City on 31 August, where he won the man of the match award; he played just over 84 minutes before being substituted and received a standing ovation from fans.
[14] He scored his first senior goal for the club in a 2–0 win over Coventry City on 9 December, after coming on as a substitute for Peter Løvenkrands.
He scored the first equalising goal in the game at Stamford Bridge on 22 September 2010, appearing in a right-wing berth, as Newcastle went on to triumph 4–3.
[18] He also started several games after, for a while, being the club's only fit striker after the sale of Andy Carroll to Liverpool and injuries to Shola Ameobi and Leon Best.
On 21 November 2011, having failed to appear for Newcastle in the season up to that date, Ranger signed on loan for Championship club Barnsley until 14 January 2012.
[20] On 19 January 2013, Ranger criticised the Newcastle fans on Twitter for booing the team off after a 2–1 home loss to fellow strugglers Reading.
His time with the club had been beset with disciplinary problems and issues with his private life and on 2 May 2014, Ranger and Swindon Town mutually agreed to terminate his contract with immediate effect.
[33] Despite saying he would return to the club for pre-season training in preparation for the 2015–16 season,[34] he failed to do so[35] until 28 July,[6] by which point Blackpool had played four friendlies.
I would like to use this opportunity to thank Southampton, Newcastle, Swindon and Blackpool for giving me the chance to experience the dream of being a professional footballer.
[38] He made his debut 13 days later in a 3–0 win at Sheffield United, his first professional match since November 2014, but was substituted with an injury halfway through the first half.
He scored in a 4–2 win; his controversial goal celebration involving removing his boot and using it to mimic the action of someone using a machine gun.
[53] He made his Boreham Wood debut on 6 December coming on as a late substitute in a 4–0 FA Cup second round win against St Albans City.
[57] On 2 November 2024, Ranger scored in the second minute of extra-time to give Kettering a 2–1 win against League One Northampton Town, four divisions higher in the football pyramid, in the first round of the 2024–25 FA Cup.
[58] The following week, having scored seven goals in ten games, Ranger signed a one-year extension to his contact with Kettering Town.
[60] In 2007, at the age of 15, Ranger was sentenced to 11 weeks in a Young Offenders Institute after being convicted of participating in street robbery in Muswell Hill, London.
[62] On 27 August 2011, he was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a man in Newcastle city centre, leaving the victim unconscious in the street.
The charge came only days after Ranger had been reinstated to Newcastle United's first-team training after a three-month exile in the club's reserves.
[66] The charge against Ranger was dropped that November after the court accepted his explanation that he had damaged the door after fearing his girlfriend was being kidnapped.
[72] He later pleaded guilty to criminal damage and was fined £1,000 and was ordered to pay compensation to the taxi driver for breaking a window.