The footballer Ryan Naderi, born in Dresden to a Czech mother and a Bulgarian father, has decided to represent the Czech national football team and joined the squad ahead of a Nations League match against Spain.
Ryan Naderi, a forward for the Scottish club Glasgow Rangers born on 10 July 2003 in Dresden, has decided to play for the Czech national football team. His mother is Czech and his father Bulgarian [2][3]. He joined the national team during the September training camp in Prague, where he watched from the stands at Eden the Nations League match against England, which Czechia lost 0:2 [1][3]. He could make his first international appearance on the pitch of the reigning world and European champions Spain in Oviedo [2][3].
Career
Naderi came through the youth teams of SFK Dresden and Dynamo Dresden, played for the reserve team of Mönchengladbach between 2022 and 2024, and then for Hansa Rostock until February 2026 [1]. Since February 2026 he has played for Glasgow Rangers, where up to the September international camp he had made 22 appearances with seven goals and six assists [1]. He is almost two metres tall [1][3].
Approach by Pavel Nedvěd
According to Naderi's statement to the Football Association of the Czech Republic, he was first approached by the general manager of the national teams, Pavel Nedvěd, in August 2026, after the Rangers match against Jablonec in the Conference League qualifying round, in which Naderi scored the winning goal [2][3]. "Pavel Nedvěd got in touch with me, and that alone seemed unbelievable. Such a personality, a Ballon d'Or winner, asks a guy like me whether I want to represent Czechia," Naderi said [2][3]. By his own account, he also personally took part in handling the necessary paperwork: "I went to the offices and sorted it out," he said [1][2].
Three nations
Naderi said he has a connection to three countries. "First of all, I am enormously proud to be here," he said of Czechia [1]. Of Bulgaria, where his father comes from, he said that he does not speak the language there and does not travel to the country as often as to Czechia [2][3]. He described the decision for the Czech national team as a clear choice [2][3]. He added that he has learned the Czech national anthem because he considers it an important part of representing the country [1][2][3]. As a child he regularly travelled to Czechia for holidays and later to children's summer camps, and in Prague he has a grandmother who lives near Eden [1][2][3].
Outlook
Naderi said he wants to help the national team with goals and commitment and that taking part in the World Cup is his dream [3]. Coach Santi Denia described him as a player who can help the team in the very near future [1].
Sources
- iDNES.cz — 30 September 2026
- ČTK / České noviny — 30 September 2026
- Deník.cz — 30 September 2026