Tristan Nydam opens up on career ending injury

By Geronimo News

Born just a year before the turn of the millennium Tristan Nydam’s story is an intriguing one.

With an innate passion for football, Trystan kickstarted his football journey as a young primary school going child at St Michael’s School in Borrowdale, Harare.

At the age of 6, Tristan’s parents migrated to the United Kingdom where he continued to follow his passion of one day becoming a professional footballer.

Amid the tough nature of being surrounded by hundreds of other kids that harboured dreams of following in the steps of their football idols’, Tristan always stood out and got his lucky break when he was identified by Ipswich Town scouts.

“At 6, 7 I started playing in England, England is so big in football and when I was there I started playing and that is when I was scouted by Ipswich,” he said. 

A successful trial stint would see Tristan being drafted into the Ipswich Town Academy where he rose through the ranks with aplomb.

Having progressed swiftly through the Ipswich Town Academy age groups, Tristan would be handed the golden opportunity of putting on an England shirt at Under 18 and Under 19 levels.

“I got called up to the Under 19s, that is when I had broken into the Ipswich first team, I was now playing the Championship, I played with the likes of Mason Mount, Reece James, Ries Nelson and Phil Foden just to name a few,” pointed Tristan.

So talented was the Zimbabwean that he was at one stage approached by Arsenal but having already mapped out his route, Tristan declined the offer and chose to stay at Ipswich.

A break into the Ipswich Town first team would propel Tristan into the limelight but a string of injuries would put to an end what had looked to be a promising career.

“The third operation to try and get me fit didn’t help that’s when I decided to stop playing due to doctor’s advice, due to the pain on my ankle I could not play anymore,” he said.

With his professional football career having ended in heartache and disappointment, Tristan has now set off on a journey of grooming and nurturing young talent in the UK and after taking some time away from coaching the once so talented player chose to visit his country of birth.