Joe Bell chats to NZME about his heroes, World Cup dreams and more.
It's all or nothing for the All Whites when they face Costa Rica in June for a place in this year's World Cup finals.
And while English Premier League striker Chris Wood is the star and talisman, defensive midfielder Joe Bell is close to Wood as the All Whites' most vital player.
Bell's class and composure is a standout, and there is little doubt he will captain the All Whites one day.
In a freaky coincidence, Bell has added motivation for making it to the World Cup.
The 22-year-old, who plays for Danish club Brondby IF, will be set to face the player he has idolised as a kid if the All Whites play in the November/December tournament.
The Christchurch-raised Bell chats to NZME from Denmark about his reverence for Spain's Sergio Busquets, how his family ended up in New Zealand, Ryan Nelsen, the new All Whites approach and more.
Everything is on the line against Costa Rica…
It's a huge game, the World Cup is a dream of mine, and I'm sure my team mates as well. But we do face this day in and day out in the professional environment, so hopefully we are prepared as we can be for a game of this scale.
When does the Costa Rica homework begin?
Not so much yet, we are all balancing it with our club careers at the moment, but it will be coming. Danny Hay and his staff will spend hours and hours trolling through clips of Costa Rica, finding their finer points.
The most basic stuff we always get is about an opponent's formation, general game philosophy, are they possession based or long ball, do they go direct to their No. 9, or do they look more for wingers in behind. There will be information for specific players, their tendencies, their main threats, players who pose something different.
And they will try to counter us…they will know Chris Wood is very dangerous in the air so minimise the crosses…
Did you watch the famous All Whites' qualification games against Bahrain which got them to the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa?
Absolutely, although I don't think you quite understand what the accomplishment was when you are a 10-year-old. But it was fantastic for the country. Watching players like Winston Reid and Ryan Nelson, they quickly become your role models. Now we are the ones stepping out on the pitch.
Ryan Nelsen was the driving force back then - have you met him?
He visited us during the World Cup qualifiers in Qatar. I might have met him before, we are Christchurch boys, but not formally like that.
He talked a lot about the feelings he misses now that he's hung up the boots, about trying to take in that moment, and understand the responsibility. We are not just playing for ourselves and representing everyone in New Zealand, but also the players we played with and the coaches who brought us all up. He wasn't trying to put on a sense of pressure…it's about that feeling of fighting and playing with your best mates.
What are those All Whites bonds like?
There is nothing more special than coming back to play with our New Zealand team mates and friends, knowing you can look to your left and right and see someone who would die for you and your country.
The bonds have grown over time. I did three years in the Wellington Phoenix academy with the likes of Sarpreet Singh and Liberato Cacace, and we had a bit of a rivalry with the Olé Academy players like Eli Just, Callum McCowatt and Nando Pijnaker. It was really good to have that competitiveness and we're all great friends now.
You were born in England…
In Bristol - we moved to New Zealand when I was three. My parents were always planning to leave England and were a few weeks away from moving to Canada - they had done all the paper work - when they decided to give New Zealand a go at the last minute.
My mum (Caroline) is a psychiatrist and New Zealand was keen on bringing doctors over at the time.
Mum and dad (Richard) came over by themselves for a few months and just loved it. About a year later we were set up in Christchurch.
It's always a bit difficult being on the other side of the world from family but their love for New Zealand outweighed the negatives.
Dad is a film producer, mainly focused on advertisements and music videos, and is also a film teacher in Christchurch.
Are you from a footballing family…
As far as I am aware none of our Bells have played professionally. My dad played and coached a bit and is a diehard West Ham fan. I tried really hard to support them but he figured out relatively quickly I didn't. I love Barcelona…I'm a big fan of Lionel Messi, the best player in the world.
Any football heroes?
David Beckham at a young age, but once I understood the game better and developed a better understanding of my position it became Sergio Busquets, who still plays for Barcelona and captains Spain.
If we qualify, Spain are in our group - freaky. It will be pretty awesome, an extra motivation to give that much more against Costa Rica.
I watched excessive amounts of YouTube videos of him through high school, which probably hindered my grades a bit. I can't even imagine what it would be like to play against him.
What is it about Busquets?
In my opinion he is the best No. 6 player in the world. He clearly has no physical attributes which help him much in football - he plays solely on an ability to process the game in his brain, the way he uses disguises, reads and understands the game, where his team mates and opposition players are, the deceptions - it's like playing chess on the field.
It's hard to describe a genius - there's a good quote about him which says 'if you watch the game you won't see Busquets, but if you watch Busquets you'll see the whole game'.
I still watch every game he plays. And when you play against someone like that, you get the full understanding of how incredible they are.
You play with a lot of poise…
I'm glad it comes off like that. It's about tapping into the mental side of the game, something I'm very interested in.
I studied psychology at college, mainly for the sports side. Professional football at this level is difficult, the pressures, so it is important to make sure you are staying in the mindset.
The All Whites have a fantastic psychologist Dom Vettise who teaches the 'green state' - it's about staying in the flow state, focussed on what goes on in the moment and not the outside implications.
I'm still learning but it's about recognising the moments when you are falling out of that mindset, recognising the triggers.
They could be something like making a mistake, or like the qualifying game against Tahiti where they played a style which could be frustrating. Tahiti were very physical, using a lot of time on the fouls, and that can easily take you out of focussing on your job.
And one of your middle names is Zen…
That was one of dad's many crazy ideas. I like the name. It's unique. Zen was nearly my first name.
There is a growing technical ability in the All Whites…
The entire squad for the qualifiers was made up of professional players with some in really high-level environments. We are starting to prove - it's an ongoing process - we can play with the ball.
It's not just technical ability, but the mental approach. We're not just sending long balls to the strikers, but try to build up our attacks, and play out from the goalkeeper. But that takes time and courage on the pitch.
The Costa Rica game will be an example of that. Can we still play the way we want to with such immense pressure, so much money and experiences relying on a single game?
Speaking of money - getting to South Africa in 2010 was worth millions to New Zealand Football…
I'm not sure I want to know the numbers but that would be great for New Zealand football in general. But I don't think that sits on people's minds.
When did you decide that a defensive midfield role was your best position?
While playing for my collegiate team in America. It's a bit to do with the physical components - defensive midfielders don't require too many physical attributes, don't need too much speed, and the American game is incredibly fast. That highlighted it was a good fit for me.
The midfield is quite a mental game, and I find that tactical component enjoyable.
How did you end up playing in Scandinavia?
Norway first called after the youth World Cup. I would have entered the (American) MLS draft on a Generation adidas contract, which means you are guaranteed a three-year contract but don't know where. That really bothered me. I needed more control over the environment I would be in. The Norway club was less of a risk and I had a good relationship with the coaches after doing a trial there.
Where does playing for Brondby sit in your career goals?
The support for us here is incredible, which brings the side effects of pressure and expectation, but that's good. There is a lot of pride in the club.
I'm the same as most young players - you aspire to go as high as you can. I want to go all the way to the top. It takes time and a lot of hard work, and I must still prove myself at this level.
Chris Wood has been thriving in the English Premier League with Burnley and Newcastle…
He's a role model for all New Zealand players, in working hard and staying committed to a goal. And to then score goals in the EPL, to break history as the highest goalscorer for Burnley - that's a crazy achievement. He's also just a fantastic guy, the most down to earth superstar I've met in my life.
He's an invaluable resource for us young boys in the national team setup, because of what he's been through, the level's he playing at, the fact he was such strong connections with everyone in the team. The more Chris Woods we can have the better.
Your hobbies are…
I really enjoy the physical things - growing up down south I love a lot of surfing, snowboarding, a bit of kite surfing, mountain biking. It's not the easiest to do when so much is demanded of us physically.
I've got All Whites team mates nearby in Denmark - Eli Just, Callum McCowatt and Marko Stamenic. Spending time with them is always nice when you can't do those other things.
You are not far from Ukraine - is the war a daily conversation?
I wouldn't say that - we don't feel too many repercussions, no sense of being unsafe. Denmark and the club are doing all they can to support Ukraine. We played specific games in kits to try and raise money to support the people there. You see it all through the city, many flags, support and movements of people.
The amateurs were always rank underdogs, but several factors made their task tougher.