BLACKBURN Rovers skipper Ryan Nelsen will ponder his international future in the next few weeks after describing New Zealand’s unbeaten World Cup campaign as ‘an amazing achievement’ – even though they failed to make it to the group stage.
The Kiwis were big underdogs in Group F but drew all three games to become the first team since 1998 to go out despite not losing a game.
Ryan Nelsen
Nelsen was the man of the match as New Zealand drew with Italy and played 90 minutes once more in the 0-0 draw with Paraguay, even though he admits he was only ‘40 per cent fit’ because of a stomach bug.
“I’ve been throwing up and I hadn’t eaten for two days – I just felt awful,” said the 32-year-old, who would have missed any second round clash through suspension after picking up a second yellow card of the tournament.
“I just wish we could have done a wee bit better. I feel really gutted. We were so close but so far. To get the country into the next round would have been incredible.
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RYAN Nelsen admits it was the right time to hand over the Blackburn Rovers captaincy as he concentrates on his new role of club skipper.
The New Zealand international was replaced as Rovers captain on the field by centre back partner Chris Samba at the start of this campaign but insists the change was ‘no big deal’.
Nelsen, 33 later this month, will still lead the All Whites in their friendlies against Honduras and Paraguay over the next few days but had no problems with allowing Samba take the armband permanently at club level.
Samba captained Rovers during the latter stage of last season, in Nelsen’s absence through injury, and excelled in the role.
The Congolese giant has continued his strong performances this time round and Nelsen is more than happy to keep the status quo.
“It’s no big deal,” said Nelsen. “I am the club captain but no longer the captain on the park. Chris is an incredible player and at 26 it was the right time to do it (hand him the captaincy).
“I had five and a half years as captain.
“My new role as club captain is a bit like being on a board when they have an old guy who they don’t want to get rid of so they find him a new job.”
Ryan William Nelsen (born 18 October 1977) is a New Zealand professional footballer who plays for English Premier League club Blackburn Rovers, where he plays as a centre back. Nelsen captains the New Zealand national team, the All Whites. He joined Blackburn back in 2005 on a free transfer from D.C. United. Nelsen wears the number 6 jersey for both club and country.
Nelsen was born in Christchurch. After attending Our Lady of the Assumption primary school and St Thomas of Canterbury College, he moved to the United States to play for Greensboro College in North Carolina in 1997. After spending two years at Greensboro and leading The Pride to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III championship match, he transferred to Stanford University where he played his final two years of college soccer. He was named the Cardinal’s Most Valuable Player as a junior and a National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-American as a senior while playing as a defensive midfielder. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in political science.