Rory Fallon
Striker Fallon was largely responsible for New Zealand making the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa after heading home the goal that beat Bahrain in the decisive intercontinental qualifying play-off. But he may have not been involved in that historic campaign at all had he not benefitted from a change in player eligibility rules, passed by the FIFA Congress in 2009. Despite being born and raised in New Zealand, Fallon headed to the United Kingdom as a teen to embark on a professional career and ended up representing England at U-16, U-17, U-18, U-19 and U-20 levels, having qualified through English father Kevin. All Whites coach Ricki Herbert remained keen on Fallon’s services though and his prayers were answered when a motion was passed to remove the age limit for switching allegiances for players who had already played for another country at youth level. Fallon, who is now 30, made an immediate impact for the All Whites, scoring on debut against Jordan before helping beat Bahrain and taking part in all three of New Zealand’s World Cup matches.
Michael McGlinchey
With the shock retirement of Tim Brown, 25-year-old McGlinchey is now expected to step up to boss the All Whites midfield. Yet only a handful of years ago he was tipped to one day fill the same role for Scotland. A prodigious talent in his youth, the pint-sized playmaker came through the ranks at Scottish giants Celtic and, at just 15 years and 272 days, became the youngest ever player to appear for the club when he trotted out in a testimonial match. He was touted as the next boy wonder and signed professional terms with Celtic on his sixteenth birthday after interest from the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal. That remarkable debut was followed by just one more first-team appearance though and he was released in 2009. But McGlinchey had a lifeline in that he was born in New Zealand – his parents lived in Wellington for two years during the 1980s – and soon headed down under with a recently-acquired New Zealand passport to trial for Australian club Central Coast Mariners. As soon as he touched down, he was informed that Herbert – who had seen an earlier approach rebuffed – had been in touch again and this time McGlinchey was delighted to accept the offer. He became the last recruit for the World Cup adventure and is now among the leading midfielders in the A-League with the Mariners.
Winston Reid
The recruitment of Reid has undoubtedly been one of the masterstrokes of Herbert’s reign thus far. Now about to prepare for his second crack at the English Premier League with West Ham United, Reid was one of the heroes of New Zealand’s undefeated World Cup run and is one of the most promising talents to ever emerge from Oceania. But it could have been a European country benefitting from his skills if Reid had not decided to turn his back on a potential career with Denmark, a nation he received citizenship for in 2006 and was subsequently called up for the national U-19 side. Reid, 23, hails from Auckland’s North Shore but moved to Denmark at the age of 10 with his mother and Danish stepfather and went on to progress from the U-19s to U-20 and U-21 level with his adopted country. But New Zealand was never far from his thoughts – he kept in constant touch with his father and other family members in Auckland – and made himself available to the All Whites prior to the World Cup. Herbert included him in the squad sight unseen and was rewarded with several impressive performances in South Africa, the highlight of which was a headed equaliser in the 1-1 draw with Slovakia.
Shane Smeltz
The international career of Smeltz could have gone a number of different ways as he was born in Germany, spent most of his upbringing in Australia and is eligible for the United States and England through his parents but now finds himself playing for the All Whites. Smeltz’s parents were members of the US Army and were stationed near Göppingen, where Smeltz made his entrance in 1981. The family headed to New Zealand before his first birthday though and were on the move again after he turned seven, crossing the ditch for Queensland. It was here that the sharp-shooter’s eye for goal was fostered and he was called up to the New Zealand U-20 squad at 19. He graduated to the senior side via the U-23s and is now one of the leading marksmen in All Whites history, finding the net at a ratio of almost a goal every other game. His club career has proved just as nomadic as his upbringing, taking in spells of varying lengths at clubs in Australia, New Zealand, England, China and Turkey. He is now settled with Perth Glory and became the all-time leading goalscorer in the A-League last season with 62.
Tommy Smith
The luring of Smith will go down as another of Herbert’s most significant legacies and, as with Reid, the Ipswich Town defender is now a key figure after being brought in just prior to the World Cup. His potential is such that he was made captain of the ill-fated OFC Nations Cup campaign earlier this month, a feat that no doubt saw a life-long ambition fulfilled. But Smith is likely to have had a different nation in mind when he dreamed of skippering his country, having been born in England and played for the national U-17 and U-18 sides before declaring his allegiance to New Zealand. The 22-year-old spent his early years in the market town of Macclesfield in Cheshire but moved to New Zealand with his family and attended Auckland’s Westlake Boys High School. The chance to trial for Ipswich lured Smith back to his homeland and he signed a professional contract in 2007. He was part of the England squad at that year’s FIFA U-17 World Cup in Korea but made clear his interest in playing for the All Whites in late 2009 after watching them qualify for the World Cup. He went on to play every minute of New Zealand’s three-match campaign and scored his first international goal in a 1-0 win over Fiji at the Nations Cup.

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