Soccer: Thank heaven Reid headed for NZ

All Whites defender Winston Reid scores his remarkable goal. Photo / Brett Phibbs

Winston Reid might have been at this World Cup anyway.

He was an outside chance to make the Danish squad before controversially switching allegiance to New Zealand.

The 21-year-old was picked sight-unseen by coach Ricki Herbert - you do that when a player is linked with a host of Italian Serie A clubs, including Fiorentina, Palermo and Sampdoria, and expects to be playing in one of the top European leagues soon - but the country has noticed Reid now.

He was at the centre of the action in Rustenburg yesterday. He was culpable for Slovakia's goal, made a spectacular goal-saving tackle, scored a dramatic equaliser deep into injury time and was then booked for celebrating too wildly.

He's a player who makes things happen, and things happen around him. He's not necessarily a better player than Tommy Smith, who has been excellent since making his debut against Mexico in March, but you rarely notice the English-born Smith.

Reid is all power and athleticism, topped up by a dash of cleverness and occasional youthfulness. He can dive in needlessly but then make up for his mistake with a timely tackle.

Yesterday, he became a household name in New Zealand. Few had really heard of him before this World Cup, but that was hardly surprising.

Winston Wiremu Reid was born in New Zealand but moved to Denmark with his mother when aged 11. He was soon picked out as a player of talent and made his first team debut with FC Midtjylland in the Danish Superligaen at 17. He also played for the Danish under-18, under-20 and under-21 sides and it seemed only a matter of time before he made his senior debut. It might even have been at the World Cup.

But then Fifa changed the rules on eligibility and New Zealand qualified for the World Cup. Something twitched in Reid. He wondered what it might be like to play for his country of birth and his country wondered whether he might entertain the idea. He did. He followed a "gut feeling" and felt, as a Maori, he needed to play for the All Whites

"Of course I had doubts [about switching allegiance]," he says. "I weighed up my options for a long time and I think I have made the right decision - not because of the goal but because of the feeling in the team.

"It was difficult for me in the beginning. I was new to the team and I just wanted to feel my way into the team. But the World Cup is awesome. It's the biggest stage a footballer can be at. It's great being here with New Zealand."

It's good to have him. The Fifa rule change has altered the face of the All Whites. Reid and Smith have come into the side to create a strong back three alongside Ryan Nelsen, and Rory Fallon not only scored that goal against Bahrain but has proved a handful leading the line. In the background is former Scottish youth international Michael McGlinchey.

It's a much stronger team than the one that was exposed in their opening two games of last year's Confederations Cup.

"He's been a great coup for us," Herbert says. "He's only a young player and no doubt internationally he will progress. But he's got a great heart and he's slotted into the team really well. It's a special moment to score for your country at any stage, let alone at a World Cup."

Skipper Nelsen agreed. "For a young man, he never got his head down," he says. "He believed he could do something and that's what you have to do in top international sport, you have to keep being confident and believe you can affect the game. As I said to him, it takes two or three seconds in a game to do something special, and he did."

His goal handed the All Whites their first point at a World Cup. It might not seem a big deal to the rest of the world but it's a big deal for New Zealand soccer because it has delivered credibility to our game overseas and, more important, at home.