While Soccer or football is the most popular sport in the world today, it is also one of the most played sports in New Zealand. Dating backwards, New Zealand played its first football match in 1904 against New South Wales, which they lost and did not step into the ground again until 1922.
The New Zealand Football Association became officially affiliated with FIFA in 1948 and was admitted as a member of the Asian Football Confederation in 1964. Some great victories and some defeats; the All Whites have a massive fan club throughout the world. Just like the New Zealand betting offers, the team has been a hero on their home ground.
Irrefutably, the country has many football talents. And so we have handpicked five historic players who have majorly contributed to the stardom.
Five Historic New Zealand Soccer Players
- Wynton Rufer
Let’s begin by talking about New Zealand’s most famous soccer player, and that’s none other than Wynton Rufer. The retired footballer played as the most successful striker and won the top scorer in the UEFA Championship League 1993-1994 season. Barring that, he had some great success stories at the Werder Bremen and won four major titles. In 1982, Rufer was a member of the New Zealand national team in its first FIFA World Cup appearance, and in 1999 he was awarded the title Oceania Footballer of the Century. Wynton Rufer has made a significant mark in the glut of football anecdotes.
- Chris Wood
Christoper Grant Wood plays as a striker for Premier League club Newcastle United and the New Zealand national team. Wood has been capped 70 times for the New Zealand national team and scored 33 goals, and qualified as the all-time record leading goal scorer. Chris Wood played for the side at the 2010 FIFA World Cup and was a pivotal part of the squad that won the 2016 OFC Nations Cup. Before joining Leicester City in 2013, Wood spent his time on loan to six different clubs. He then signed for Championship club Leeds United where he became the top scorer in the 2016-2017 season.
- Shane Edward Smeltz
Shane Smeltz is one of the most prominent retired footballers from New Zealand. He played as a striker for Gold Coast United in the Queensland National Premier League. He spent his earlier days playing in Australia and then eventually moved to England for about two and a half seasons. Since 2007, Smeltz has played in the A-league with about two small distractions in Turkey and Malaysia. He was proudly present in the FIFA World Cup in 2010 and appeared in 58 international matches representing New Zealand and scored around 24 goals.
- Ryan William Nelsen
The former New Zealand footballer and coach of Major League Soccer side Toronto began his professional journey in 1995. He started his career in his native country for Christchurch United and notably captained the New Zealand national team. Nelsen gained immense popularity in 2001, when he joined DC United and played 81 games and scored 7 goals. In 2005, he did the unbeatable. Nelsen moved to England with Premier League side Blackburn Rovers and scored 8 times in 172 appearances.
- Winston Reid
Winston Wiremu Reid last played as a defender for Premier League club West Ham United. He captained the New Zealand national team and also played for Midtjylland with loan periods at Sporting Kansas City and Brentford. In 2011, Reid scored his first goal for West Ham in the 5-1 win against Burnley in the FA Cup and then came his 3-0 victory against Fulham in 2012.