All Whites captain Chris Wood reveals his surprising ambition for the future

“In general, it’s the 2030 World Cup,” explains Wood, when asked why he wanted to continue until 38. “Most footballers, I certainly work in terms of cycles, so obviously the next World Cup is in 2026.

“I want to play until then and then the cycle after that is more about where I’m playing, who I’m playing for and things like that. I can’t perceive where I’ll be (but) hopefully, I’m still playing in the Premier League.

“That means I can still play for the national team and keep playing, but you never know where football will take you. At the moment you can only look at the next two years, but in the long term the plan is to play until 2030.”

Wood has reason to be optimistic, currently enjoying one of the best seasons of his career. There have been good moments before, notably at Burnley and Leeds in the Championship, but this has been particularly special.

He has made a good start to the season, with four goals in seven games. There have also been big strikes, including last Monday against Chelsea, who earned a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge, helping Nottingham Forest climb to 10th in the table. That form builds on an impressive second half last season, with 11 goals in 16 games.

It was quite a turnaround, considering his preseason was marred by the lingering effects of a hamstring injury (“probably the worst of my career”), before struggling to get playing time, with just four starts in the first 17 games.

Their revival coincided with the arrival of new coach Nuno Espirito Santo after Steve Cooper was sacked in mid-December. It was a tough time, with Forest close to the relegation zone, but Wood responded well. He bagged a goal and an assist in Nuno’s first game, before an unforgettable hat-trick three days later at Newcastle in a 3-1 win over his former club.

Wood has thrived under the Portuguese – with 15 La Liga goals in 23 appearances – and says the recipe is simple.

“It’s a manager’s faith,” says Wood. “Everyone likes to have faith shown in them, that’s where players do their best work. I wouldn’t say he took a chance on me, but he put me on at first and it worked out well for both of us.

“And from now on, it’s just about trying to repay the faith he’s shown in me. I like to think we have a good working relationship. He’s a great coach, works hard and has worked really well for me so far. As long as it continues.”

Wood has big ambitions, especially towards 2030, but has always dreamed big, ever since arriving in England as a wide-eyed 17-year-old from the Waikato. And he has always been a thorough professional, willing to sacrifice himself where other contemporaries would not and is now reaping the rewards.

“I feel good, I feel as sharp as ever, as fit as ever,” says Wood. “I’m aging pretty well, which is the best thing about it. Recovery is the most important thing. Things have changed, everyone takes care of their body, nutritionally, strength, gym so you can play as long as possible.”

“Maybe 15-20 years ago players weren’t taking care of themselves as much as they could, that’s why you saw them leave the league at 32, 33 years old. The mentality has changed now and now you can play until 35. easy enough as long as you take care of yourself and are lucky with injuries. You’re not done after 30 and people still act.”

Wood cites Jamie Vardy, who has scored more than 100 Premier League goals for Leicester after his 30th birthday.

“Age is just a number as long as you can still do everything on the field,” Wood said.

There are also local examples. The incomparable Wynton Rufer was still catching for the Auckland Kingz at 39 and had been a controversial omission from the All Whites a few years earlier. Ivan Vicelich was 38 when he was a standout for Auckland City at the 2014 FIFA Club World Cup, awarded the Bronze Ball, while 36-year-old Simon Elliott was an influential figure for the All Whites at the 2010 World Cup.

Whatever happens, Wood is on his way to setting records that may never be broken. Now on 77 caps, he could become the first man to reach 100 A internationals for New Zealand (Vicelich had 88 caps), while eclipsing the marks of Steve Sumner and Brian Turner, who achieved 105 and 101 caps generally respectively, including matches against club sides.

And Wood will take his goal tally, now 35, even further after scoring in Friday’s 3-0 win over Tahiti.

For now, though, the focus is on a rare appearance in Auckland against world number 132 Malaysia on Monday (7pm) at North Harbor Stadium, which looms large as a chance for a win over a non-Ocean side .

“It’s not often we go into games expected to win,” admits Wood. “When we play around the world normally we’re struggling to compete with the other teams, so it’s a different challenge and I think we’ll be favourites. It’s about trying to dominate the game, try to create more chances, put on a show and score goals.

“It doesn’t always mean it’s going to happen that way, but we’re looking forward to the opportunity to try.”

Michael Burgess has been a sports journalist since 2005, winning several national awards and covering Olympic Games, FIFA World Cup and Copa America campaigns.