Reiss Luke Nelson ( ; born 10 December 1999) is an English professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

who plays as a winger for

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...

club

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

Early and personal life

Nelson was born in

Elephant and Castle The Elephant and Castle is an area around a major road junction in London, England, in the London Borough of Southwark. The name also informally refers to much of Walworth and Newington, due to the proximity of the London Underground station ...

, London He grew up in

Aylesbury Estate The Aylesbury Estate is a large housing estate located in Walworth, South East London. The Aylesbury Estate contains 2,704 dwellings, spread over a number of different blocks and buildings, and was built between 1963 and 1977. There are approxi ...

in Walworth and attended the

London Nautical School The London Nautical School (LNS) is an 11–18 foundation secondary school for boys and mixed sixth form in Blackfriars, Greater London, England. It was established in 1915. History The London Nautical School was established in 1915 in respon ...

. He became friends with fellow aspiring footballer

Jadon Sancho Jadon Malik Sancho (born 25 March 2000) is an English professional footballer who plays as a winger for club Manchester United and the England national team. Widely regarded as one of the best young players in the world, he is known for his ...

, who lived nearby, after they played together in youth tournaments.

Club career

Arsenal

Nelson joined the

Arsenal academy The Arsenal Academy was a military academy in Columbia, South Carolina, originally established in 1842 as an independent school by the state of South Carolina. In 1845, the academy became a component of the South Carolina Military Academy (now Th ...

when he was nine years old and made a great impression on youth coaches, regularly being moved up to squads above his age group. He played 35 games for the Arsenal youth teams, including nine games in the U-21 team, in the 2016–17 campaign. Following several impressive performances in the youth teams, he signed his first professional contract with

on 10 December 2016, his 17th birthday.

Arsène Wenger Arsène Charles Ernest Wenger (; born 22 October 1949) is a French former association football, football Manager (association football), manager and football player, player who is currently serving as FIFA's Chief of Global Football Developme ...

included Nelson in the squad for 2017–18 pre-season tour.

2017–20: First-team debut and FA Cup win

On 19 July 2017, Nelson made his first senior appearance against

Bayern Munich Fußball-Club Bayern München e. V. (FCB, ), also known as FC Bayern (), Bayern Munich, or simply Bayern, is a German professional sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional men's football team, which pla ...

in a

2017 International Champions Cup The 2017 International Champions Cup (or ICC) was the fifth edition of a series of friendly association football matches, organized to simulate a tournament. It began on 18 July and ended on 30 July 2017. Teams Matches China ---- ---- ...

pre-season match. He made his first competitive appearance for Arsenal's first team in the Community Shield, coming on as a substitute against

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...

– Arsenal went on to win 4–1 on penalties. On 14 September 2017, Nelson made his European debut as he came on as a substitute for

Theo Walcott Theo James Walcott (born 16 March 1989) is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for Southampton and previously for the English national team. Walcott is a product of the Southampton Academy and started his career with ...

at the 82nd-minute mark in the

Europa League The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It ...

match against

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. He made his first start for the club against

Doncaster Rovers Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team compete in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club play their home games at ...

in the

League Cup In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...

on 20 September 2017. Reiss had an impressive season with the Arsenal U23 squad, scoring 9 goals, assisting 3 in 11 appearances as Arsenal won the 2017–18 PL2. On 20 January 2018, Nelson made his

debut in a 4–1 win against

Crystal Palace Crystal Palace may refer to: Places Canada * Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick * Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario * Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building ...

, coming on as a substitute in the 72nd minute. On 8 April 2018, he made his first Premier League start in a 3–2 win over

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

, being substituted off in the 64th minute for

Jack Wilshere Jack Andrew Garry Wilshere (born 1 January 1992) is an English football coach and former professional player who played as a midfielder. He is the current head coach of the Arsenal U18s. Wilshere came up through Arsenal's youth academy and i ...

. On 17 May 2018, Nelson was awarded the PL2 Player of the Year. After a successful season on loan, Nelson returned to Arsenal ahead of the

2019–20 Premier League The 2019–20 Premier League was the 28th season of the Premier League, the top English professional football league, since its establishment in 1992, and the 121st season of top-flight English football overall. The season started on 9 August 2 ...

season. He was promoted to the first team by manager

Unai Emery Unai Emery Etxegoien (born 3 November 1971) is a Spanish football manager and former player who is the head coach of Premier League club Aston Villa. After a career spent playing mostly in Spain's Segunda División, Emery transitioned into coa ...

and given the number 24. Nelson was handed his first two starts of the season in Arsenal's opening games against

Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...

and

Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Bru ...

. On 24 September 2019, Nelson started and played the full 90-minute of Arsenal's 5–0

EFL Cup The EFL Cup (referred to historically, and colloquially, as the League Cup), currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual knockout competition and major trophy in men's domestic football in England. Organised by the ...

victory against

Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest Football Club is an association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. Nottingham Forest was founded in 1865 and have been playing their home games at the City Ground, on the banks of the River Tren ...

. He scored his debut goal for the first team, adding a fourth for Arsenal in the 84th minute. He was out with a knee injury during the months of October and November. He made his return on 9 December, coming off the bench for a short cameo in a 3–1 win over

. Nelson scored his second goal of the season on 6 January, in Arsenal's 1–0 home win over

Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road S ...

in the

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...

. Nelson suffered a hamstring strain in mid-January, making his return off the bench on 7 March, in a 1–0 win over

West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club that plays its home matches in Stratford, East London. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club plays at the London Stadium, hav ...

. After the three-month suspension of the

due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, Nelson often was

Mikel Arteta Mikel Arteta Amatriain (born 26 March 1982) is a Spanish professional football manager and former player. He is the manager of club Arsenal. Arteta began his senior career at Barcelona in 1999 but limited playing time led to a loan to Paris ...

's favoured attacking substitute. On 15 July 2020, Nelson scored his first Premier League goal, starting in a 2–1 win against

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

. Nelson was in the squad as Arsenal won their 14th FA Cup against

on 1 August 2020. On 29 August 2020, Nelson came on as a substitute, taking and scoring the first penalty in a

shootout A shootout, also called a firefight or gunfight, is a fight between armed combatants using firearms. The term can be used to describe any such fight, though it is typically used to describe those that do not involve military forces or only invo ...

win against Liverpool in the Community Shield after the game ended 1–1.

2018–19: Loan to 1899 Hoffenheim

On 31 August 2018, Nelson signed a long-term contract with Arsenal, then went on season-long loan at German club 1899 Hoffenheim for a loan fee of €500,000. On 15 September 2018, he made his debut as a 72nd-minute substitute away to

Fortuna Düsseldorf Düsseldorfer Turn- und Sportverein Fortuna 1895 e.V., commonly known as Fortuna Düsseldorf (), is a German football club in Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, which competes in the 2. Bundesliga. Founded in 1895, Fortuna entered the league ...

, and within 14 minutes of entering the field of play, Nelson scored for Hoffenheim, scoring a consolation goal for the club in a 2–1 loss. Reiss had an impressive season for Hoffenheim, scoring 7 goals in just 587 minutes of action at such a young age. Hoffenheim's coach

Julian Nagelsmann Julian Nagelsmann (born 23 July 1987) is a German professional Association football manager, football manager and former Association football player, football player who is the head coach of FC Bayern Munich, Bayern Munich. Prior to managing Baye ...

orchestrated the move for Nelson, calling him "...an incredible player in one-on-one situations". He also hailed Nelson's talent, claiming "he had the abilities to reach the levels of elite players in football such as

Lionel Messi Lionel Andrés Messi (; born 24 June 1987), also known as Leo Messi, is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Paris Saint-Germain and captains the Argentina national team. Widely regarded as one of the ...

Cristiano Ronaldo Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro (; born 5 February 1985) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a forward and captains the Portugal national team. He is currently a free agent. Widely regarded as one of the greatest p ...

Arjen Robben Arjen Robben (; born 23 January 1984) is a Dutch former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Winger (football), winger. He was known for his Dribbling#Association football, dribbling skills, speed, ball control and long ...

fhe maintained his consistency and mentality".

2021–22: Loan to Feyenoord

On 31 August 2021, Nelson moved on loan to the Netherlands to join

Eredivisie The Eredivisie (; ''"Honour Division"'' or ''"Premier Division"'') is the highest level of professional football in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is c ...

side

Feyenoord Feyenoord Rotterdam () is a Dutch professional football club in Rotterdam, which plays in the Eredivisie, the top tier in Dutch football. Founded as Wilhelmina in 1908, the club changed to various names before settling on being called after its ...

for the 2021–22 season. Nelson got his first assist during injury time for the club on 7 November 2021 against

AZ Alkmaar Alkmaar Zaanstreek (), better known as AZ Alkmaar or simply AZ (), is a Dutch professional football club from Alkmaar and the Zaan district. The club plays in the Eredivisie, the highest professional football league in the Netherlands, and ho ...

after coming on as a substitute.

2022–23: Return to Arsenal

On 30 October 2022, he scored a brace and registered an assist in his first Premier League match of the season in a 5–0 win over

after coming on as a substitute for Bukayo Saka. He came on as a substitute in the 69th minute against

Bournemouth Bournemouth () is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area of Dorset, England. At the 2011 census, the town had a population of 183,491, making it the largest town in Dorset. It is situated on the Southern ...

on 4 March 2023, and assisted Ben White's 70th minute equalizer before scoring Arsenal's winner with the last kick of the game as the ''Gunners'' came back from 2–0 down to win 3–2 and regained their five-point lead at the top of the Premier League over chasers

Manchester City Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...

on matchday 26.

International career

Nelson has played for England youth teams, at all levels from under-16 to under-21. In May 2016, Nelson was part of the

England national under-17 football team The England national under-17 football team, also known as England under-17s or England U17(s), represents England in football at an under-17 age level and is controlled by The Football Association, the governing body for football in England. Th ...

that reached the quarter-finals of the 2016 UEFA European Under-17 Championship, playing four games and scoring three goals. His performances during the competition led to his inclusion in the team of the tournament. In March 2018, Nelson scored twice for England under-19 against

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...

in a qualifier for the 2018 UEFA European Under-19 Championship. He was one of a number of players withdrawn from selection for the tournament by their club. On 11 October 2018, Nelson made his U21 debut against

Andorra , image_flag = Flag of Andorra.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Andorra.svg , symbol_type = Coat of arms , national_motto = la, Virtus Unita Fortior, label=none (Latin)"United virtue is stro ...

, coming on as a second-half substitute; he scored the ''Young Lions sixth goal with a

backheel Association football (more commonly known as football) was first codified in 1863 in England, although games that involved the kicking of a ball were evident considerably earlier.

in stoppage time in a 7–0 victory that secured qualification for the 2019 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. Although also eligible for

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...

, Nelson specified in 2018 that he aimed to play for England in the long term, saying that playing for England would be "a dream come true". On 27 May 2019, Nelson was included in England's 23-man squad for the 2019 UEFA European Under-21 Championship and scored from the penalty spot in his only appearance; a 3–3 draw with

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

at the

San Marino Stadium The Stadio Olimpico di San Marino (or Stadio Olimpico di Serravalle) is a multi-purpose stadium in Serravalle, San Marino. First opened in 1969, it is currently used mostly for football matches. It is the national stadium of San Marino. Overv ...

on 24 June 2019.

Career statistics

Honours

Arsenal *

: 2019–20 *

FA Community Shield The Football Association Community Shield (formerly the Charity Shield) is English football's annual match contested at Wembley Stadium between the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the FA Cup. If the Premier Le ...

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

Feyenoord *

UEFA Europa Conference League The UEFA Europa Conference League (abbreviated as UECL) is an annual football club competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. Clubs qualify for the competition based on their ...

runner-up: 2021–22 Individual *

UEFA European Under-17 Championship The UEFA European Under-17 Championship or simply UEFA Under-17 Championship, is an annual football competition contested by the European men's under-17 national teams of the member associations of UEFA. Spain is the most successful team in this ...

Team of the Tournament:

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footba ...

Rookie of the Month: October 2018

References

External links

Profile
at the Arsenal F.C. website
Profile
at the Football Association website {{DEFAULTSORT:Nelson, Reiss 1999 births Living people People from Elephant and Castle Footballers from the London Borough of Southwark English footballers England youth international footballers England under-21 international footballers Association football midfielders Arsenal F.C. players TSG 1899 Hoffenheim players Feyenoord players Premier League players Bundesliga players Eredivisie players English expatriate footballers Expatriate footballers in Germany Expatriate footballers in the Netherlands English expatriate sportspeople in Germany English expatriate sportspeople in the Netherlands Black British sportsmen English people of Zimbabwean descent