With several countries that have adopted football into the national culture, football is undoubtedly the most popular sport in the world. Estimated to have billions of fans worldwide, this sport was also brought by the first English settlers to New Zealand and has gained widespread attention after Rugby.
Soccer is enjoyed in all forms with older and younger fans attending matches in stadiums and making their football bets via CasinoDeps.co.nz or any other online bookies. Although New Zealand doesn’t rank in the top 10 nations in the history of the World Cup, the country has proudly produced the following finest players in international football tournaments.
Wynton Rufer
Wynton Rufer is New Zealand’s Diego Maradona who played as a striker in the national team. His first FIFA World Cup appearance was in 1982 when he won the title the Oceania Footballer of the Century given by the Oceania Football Confederation.
This Kiwi football legend played over 500 club matches during his professional career, scoring 224 goals in total. Wynton Rufer went on to fame when he scored against China in 1982 making New Zealand qualify for the World Cup for the first time.
He spent his professional career in Germany and Switzerland for over a decade, and his greatest victory was during the 1993–94 season championship when he belonged to the Werder Bremen and won a total of four major titles. After being named the Oceania Footballer of the Century in 1999, this Kiwi football striker returned to his home country and became Football Kingz club player-manager based in Auckland.
Ryan William Nelsen
Ryan Nelsen’s popularity was in the early 2000s when he started his professional career as a defender in the NZ national team. This experienced football became the notable captain of Christchurch United and was reputed to be the greatest captain in NZ football country. He joined DC United in 2001 where he played 81 games with 7 goals.
Nelsen signed with the Blackburn Rovers in the UK in 2005 after the 2004 MLS season. There, he was amazing with 200 appearances and a total of 8 goals. When he moved to Tottenham Hotspur club in 2012, this prominent footballer only managed 5 appearances and scored once in the FA Cup against Bolton Wanderers.
After joining Queens Park Rangers in the summer of 2012, Nelsen returned to the MLS in 2013 while agreeing with Toronto FC as head coach. He was fired from Toronto FC on 31 August 2014 after winning 3 out of 13 matches during his coaching career there.
Shane Edward Smeltz
Shane Edward Smeltz commonly known as Shane Smeltz is one of New Zealand’s best footballing exports born on 29 September 1981. This New Zealander striker made a debut in Australia when he played efficiently after moving to England.
From 2007, he played mostly in the A-league despite a short session with the Turkey Gençlerbirliği and the Malaysia Kedah FA. The 41-year-old footballer is, in fact, the all-time second-highest goalscorer in the A-League and was the top goalscorer for Gold Coast United.
Shane was mainly remarkable when played for the New Zealand national team and scored against goalkeeper Federico Marchetti of Italy in the 2010 FIFA World Cup. With a total of 255 career appearances for both clubs and national teams as well as a total of 113 career goals, Shane Smeltz is certainly one of the best footballers of all time.
Luke Adams
Born in May 1994, Luke Adams is an international footballer who plays as a defender on various teams in New Zealand tournaments and abroad. His performance was mainly remarkable in the 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup and the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup. He debuted his career in 2012 and after a one-year contract, he joined the English club Derby County F.C.
A new one-year contract with Wellington Phoenix was also signed in 2013. His career for the senior Kiwis national football team started in 2016 at OFC Nations with a 3-1 win over Fiji in Papua New Guinea. In the World Cup qualifier match in June 2016, Adams scored the only goal over the Solomon Islands and it is his footballer’s peak year. The talented New Zealand defender signed with the Swedish third tier, Ljungskile SK in Division 1 Södra in December 2017 but he left the club after appearing in a single league.

You must be logged in to post a comment Login