Ruud Nijstad

Ruud Nijstad (born 17 January 2008) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a central defender for FC Twente of the Eredivisie.^[1]

Ruud Nijstad

Personal information
Date of birth	(2008-01-17) 17 January 2008 (age 17)
Place of birth	Almelo, Netherlands
Position	Defender
Team information
Current team	FC Twente
Number	43
Youth career
	DETO
	FC Twente
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2025	FC Twente	1	(0)
International career
2023-2024	Netherlands U16	4	(0)
2024-	Netherlands U17	6	(0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 00:15 (UTC) 14 October 2025

Club career

Born in Almelo, Nijstad played as a youngster for amateur club DETO and later trained in the joint youth academy of FC Twente and Heracles Almelo. He signed a three-year professional contract with FC Twente in February 2024.^[2]

He made his professional debut for FC Twente in the Eredivisie on 5 October 2025 at the age of 17 years-old appearing as a substitute in the eighth minute for Robin Pröpper against Heracles, in a 2-1 victory for his side.^[3][4][5]

International career

Nijstad is a youth international for the Netherlands, havind made his debut for the Netherlands U16 in October 2023.^[2]