Chris Wood #9

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What Ronaldo is for Portugal, Wood is for the All Whites - goalscorer and endlessly loyal to his country, so fans have been fretting about his fitness in the World Cup buildup. An inspiration for youngsters, he’s “the poster boy of the All Whites, he's definitely the standout”, RNZ journalist Matthew Nash wrote before the knee injury that derailed his latest Premier League season. Wood had an outstanding campaign in 2024-25, becoming the first Forest player in 30 years to score 20 plus goals in a season and the first Kiwi to be voted Premier League player of the month. The youngest ever All Whites captain says: “Playing for my country makes me extremely proud and honoured.” Returned from knee surgery in April and is hopeful of staying at the top for some time: “I'm not one with blistering pace, so I'm never gonna lose it. So that's good coming into my older years where I can actually still continue to do what I did when I was 22 years old.”

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