Louis Rees-Zammit runs so fast that at 22 he did the same as the legendary Michael Jordan in his thirties: leave the sport that had propelled him to stardom, unsuccessfully try his hand in the elite of another discipline, and return to square one. His father played American football; his brother and uncle, rugby. At full speed, he has overcome that crossroads.
With his athletic talent at 1.90m, LRZ shot through the rugby ranks like lightning. At 16, he had settled in Gloucester's academy, a club in the English Premiership. On the first night, he has said, "I cried my eyes out." Barely 18, he was the youngest player to line up for the first team, starting to make his mark in the league and the Champions Cup.
He was not yet 20 when he made his debut for the Wales national team, an emblem of that corner of the UK. By residency, he could have chosen to wear the powerful England shirt. "My parents are Welsh, and I'm from Llandaff, Cardiff, I want to play for my home country", he stated, ignoring the trolling from Paul Scholes. "The England debut can't be far away," former Manchester United footballer Scholes had claimed on Instagram. Louis responded with just one word: 'Wales'. He would later reveal the reasons. "I used to date his daughter, so it was an ongoing joke."
LRZ's first try in an international match came in front of an empty stadium due to COVID restrictions. He was part of Wales' last success, the victory in the 2021 Six Nations. From there, the decline of the national team and the player's rise. In January 2024, on the eve of the same tournament, Louis Rees-Zammit surprisingly announced his departure from rugby to join the NFL recruitment program. He had already played 32 international matches and scored 14 tries.
Since then, although not directly due to his exit, Wales has fared worse. They have not won any matches in the last two Six Nations tournaments, and last year they parted ways with coach Warren Gatland midway through the competition. A disaster for a team that has achieved feats etched in international rugby memory. Louis Rees-Zammit also found out that his star shines less in America. He tried to learn as a kicker, runner, and receiver. He made his debut in a friendly as part of the special teams for the Kansas City Chiefs.
From his time with the then NFL champions, the Welshman holds a treasure that he shared with his thousands of social media followers. "I've heard you're doing really well with the Chiefs, keep it up, and I hope to meet you soon," wrote Taylor Swift in her own handwriting, the partner of his teammate Travis Kelce. They never got to meet. LRZ moved to the Jacksonville Jaguars, where he also did not play any official matches. In August 2025, he surprised everyone again. "It's been a great experience, but it's time to come back home, see you soon, rugby fans," he announced.
In an interview with the BBC, Louis Rees-Zamitt delved into the reasons for his return. "I have no regrets," he made clear. He explains that in American football, he lacked what he had in abundance in rugby: years of learning before professionalism. "It's very difficult to break into the NFL if you haven't gone through college sports." He spared no effort, even memorizing 1,500 plays, but he didn't get playing time. He missed the matches. "I felt like I was wasting my talent."
So he has returned still young, at 25 for a few days now. He's heavier, faster, and more explosive. In five years, he has gone from 92 kilos to 100 without losing speed. According to his club, Bristol Bears, the winger reached 37.93 km/h in the final minute of a match in September and is credited with a time of 10.44 in the 100 meters. In terms of explosiveness, Rees-Zamitt has added skills to his sprint. Not only does he evade defenders, but he also feels more confident in contact with them and can seek the collision to then pass the ball to a teammate.
LRZ rejoined Wales in November when the leek XV ended an 18-game losing streak. To restart the national team, the new coach, Steve Tandy, has left the supposedly jinxed southern dressing room at Cardiff's Principality Stadium and moved it to the one occupied by visiting teams for the past 20 years. Restoring the winning momentum will require more profound changes as fewer quality players emerge than in the past, and the best, like Louis, migrate to English clubs.
The Welsh team kicks off the 2026 Six Nations by visiting England on Saturday, a team aspiring to win the tournament. They conclude at home against Italy, in a match that may help avoid the symbolic wooden spoon that tarnishes those who lose all five matches.
LRZ is expected to deliver supersonic tries, optimism, and connect with young fans. His position as a winger, sometimes fullback, makes him a finisher in attack, heavily reliant on the balls supplied by his teammates. If Michael Jordan returned to make the Chicago Bulls champions again through his leadership, the rejuvenated promise of the Welsh rugby team can only be expected to inject hope and pride into a challenging resurrection.