New Zealand: Premier League Nations

90 Minutes At A Time

·10 September 2020

New Zealand: Premier League Nations

The next destination of our alphabetical world tour is New Zealand. Though football is not highest on the New Zealand sporting agenda, the All Whites are five-time OFC Nations Cup winners and have appeared at two World Cup Finals tournaments.

According to the Premier League website, six players have represented New Zealand in the Premier League.

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First Player – Lee Norfolk (Ipswich Town; 1994-95)

By virtue of just three appearances for Ipswich in 1994/95, Lee Norfolk became the first New Zealander to feature in the Premier League. It was to be a dismal campaign for the Tractor Boys, who suffered relegation to the second tier for the first time in the Premier League era.

Norfolk made the first of his three appearances against Southampton. Entering the field as a half-time substitute with his side 1-0 down, Norfolk helped Ipswich turn it around for just their sixth league win of the season.

But he made just two further appearances in 1994/95 and would never return to the Premier League. Born in New Zealand, he was an international at under 17 level but never won a senior cap.

Records

Most appearances – Ryan Nelsen (198)
First appearance – Lee Norfolk (IPSWICH 2-1 Southampton, February 25th 1995)
Most goals – Chris Wood (32)
First goal – Ryan Nelsen (BLACKBURN 2-0 Wigan, April 26th 2009)

Current/Most Recent Players

Burnley striker Chris Wood is the only New Zealander currently playing in the Premier League before the lockdown. After difficult spells with West Brom and Leicester, Wood has finally made the jump up to Premier League standard with the Clarets, after showing his class in the Championship for several years.

Trivia

New Zealand are the only current OFC nation to have been represented in the Premier League.
Chris Wood is the 12thmost capped New Zealander of all time.
New Zealand were the only nation at the 2010 World Cup Finals who did not lose a game.