Football: Wellington Phoenix snare rising star Luke Brooke-Smith

New Zealand's Luke Brooke-Smith celebrates a goal in the OFC Men's Under-16 Championship final against Fiji. Photo / D.J. Mills, Phototek.nz

By RNZ Sport

The Wellington Phoenix have signed rising star Luke Brooke-Smith, just days after he helped New Zealand qualify for the Fifa Under-17 World Cup next year.

The 16-year-old Hamilton Wanderers winger scored a goal in the New Zealand’s 3-1 win over Fiji in the Oceania U16 men’s final in Tahiti, which qualifies them for the World Cup in Qatar.

The Phoenix have signed him on a three-year contract, the first two years of which are on scholarship terms.

Brooke-Smith scored five goals in the Oceania tournament, including a hat-trick against Fiji in pool play.

He had earlier trialled with the Phoenix, impressing head coach Giancarlo Italiano.

“Luke has attributes that are already commonplace for a lot of our established players,” Italiano said.

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“He has explosiveness and he’s very good with the ball.

“He poses a real threat every time he’s in possession, and I like that because it means he’s dangerous and hard to defend.”

Brooke-Smith is originally from Whangārei, but moved to Cambridge in 2020 to pursue his dream of becoming an Olympic BMX rider.

The eight-time national age-group BMX champion was also part of the RH3 Football Academy, headed by former Phoenix coach Ricki Herbert.

He made his senior debut for Cambridge FC just 18 days after his 15th birthday and joined Hamilton Wanderers this year in the Northern League.

Brooke-Smith was looking forward to showcasing his talent in the A-League.

“I think my best attribute is one-on-one abilities down the wing. I love getting the ball and bringing life to the game.

“I hate watching players who slow the game down when it’s not needed, or don’t have the confidence to take players on.’’

Brooke-Smith joins Marco Rojas and Paulo Retre as new signings for the coming A-League season. The club says it will make further signings in the coming weeks.

– RNZ