Ryan William Nelsen ONZM (born 18 October 1977) is a former New Zealand professional football player and former head coach of Major League Soccer side Toronto FC.

He notably captained the New Zealand national team and started his professional football career in his native country for Christchurch United.

In 2012, he made a move to Tottenham Hotspur but only managed 5 appearances (scoring once in an FA Cup tie against Bolton Wanderers, the re-arranged match following Fabrice Muamba's cardiac arrest) before joining Queens Park Rangers in the summer of 2012.

Even after he relocated to the United States, he played his last season with the club when he was home for a semester's sabbatical from his university football scholarship with Greensboro College.

In the summer of 2005, after just six months at the club, Nelsen signed a new three-year contract after impressing manager Mark Hughes and helping to turn Blackburn's defence into one of the toughest in the Premiership.

In the 2005–06 season, Blackburn qualified for the UEFA Cup with a sixth-place finish, but Nelsen missed the last few games after breaking his foot in a 2–0 win at Charlton Athletic.

Nevertheless, his performances since arriving in England prompted much interest from rival clubs including Portsmouth, whose bid for Nelsen was rejected by Blackburn.

On 1 February 2006, he started and played the full ninety minutes alongside Andy Todd in a 4–3 league victory over Manchester United at Ewood Park.

[7] Nelsen was signed by Tottenham Hotspur on a free transfer on 2 February 2012, to replace defender Sébastien Bassong, who joined Wolves on loan.

[8][9] He made his debut for Tottenham on 11 February 2012 in the Premier League match against Newcastle United, when he replaced Ledley King in the seventy-fourth minute.

[citation needed] It was announced on 8 January 2013 that Nelsen had signed for Canadian MLS side Toronto FC as the club's new head coach.

[12] He played his last match for Queens Park Rangers on 29 January in a 0–0 draw against English champions, Manchester City, and was given a guard of honour by his teammates after the game.

[15] Although he has been selected to play on numerous occasions, Nelsen had not represented New Zealand between his last appearance in 2004 and 2008 due largely to a recurring hamstring injury.

[16][17] Nelsen captained the All Whites side as they qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, beating Bahrain in a two-legged playoff in November 2009.

Nelsen won his first game as a head coach in the home opener against Sporting Kansas City in a 2–1 victory on 9 March, with both goals coming from newly acquired striker Robert Earnshaw.