Riera is all-white

Random question. When would Albert Riera qualify to play for NZ? Would he want to? Would we want him to?

he would need NZ Passport - therefore NZ Citizen

Feb 2016

Will be 32. 34 if we qualify for Russia

That's assuming he applied for residency as soon as he entered NZ.

On past history - by the time he's well past his best

Better off getting Gorrin on a residence visa ASAP and hoping that he sticks around if he turns out to be as good as we hope.

i'd say we are better off focusing on players who are actually new zealanders, but i understand the tempation

As far as I'm concerned we should pick the best players who are eligible. If a quality footballer from overseas wants to commit to NZ I don't think that's substantially different to us running round trying to find random players who qualify to play for us. Genuine question, but how long did Tommy Smith or WeeMac live in NZ as kids? Wikipedia doesn't say but it can't have been much longer than 5 years. And don't forget there's current AWs based in Europe who get "injured" before games, and not just friendlies. Go look at our squad from the last OFC nations cup...  So it's not like we have a lot of depth or even great commitment from our "real" NZ talent as it is

NZ citizen = NZer.

Which isn't to say that I think we should bulk import quality foreigners and wait for them to qualify but seeing as we only have one pro club that's unlikely to happen anyway.    

NZ is a nation of immigrants, someone like Durante has more attachment to NZ than a few players in our squad who are eligible by birth, if Gorrin plays for us its because he chose NZ as home rather than being fortunate enough to be born here so in my mind would be more eligible to be a Kiwi than Reid or Smith.

And WeeMac spent a single year in NZ, hopefully more to come though.

Diego Costa led the line for Spain at the WC. Deco played 75 times for Portugal. Marcos Senna played 28 times for Spain and was named in the team of the tournament when they won Euro 2008.  

All Brazilian. It's not like it's just footballing minnows who use naturalized players in their national teams. 

Smith or Weemac maybe, but Reid lived here until he was 10 and his middle name is Wiremu. Anyone who says that isn't kiwi enough is a fool (not having a go at you personally).

Thought he was overseas longer than that, still 10 years old isn't old enough to call somewhere home. I lived in Auckland until I was 11, I don't consider myself an Aucklander.

Gorrin aint turning down $150k a week to be here.....

My position on players from another country playing for the All Whites is that they should be allowed to do so if they show a genuine commitment. The biggest question for me is whether or not they plan to live in New Zealand after they retire. I don't want to see people like Daniel try to play for the All Whites and then leave the country when they aren't good enough.

well for one, he'd be too old to be an impact on the all whites when becoming a player. Daniel was always a useless player but great guy who's only pathway into the AW was because ricki herbert had his favoured selections from the nix, i still dont know why people would actually want him playing for the AW. The only reason people want to play for the AW is because they feel nz is their adopted home, or, more likely, they feel its a chance to play in a world cup or confed cup. If it raises the ability of our national team then shit i support it, however i'd perfer players in their some what 'decent' years rather than some 30/32/33 year old who is past but believe their own hype.

The only attachment that Durante has to NZ is that he had a job playing for the Nix, could not get in the Aussie team so he probably   decided that he wanted to be an international and applied for citizenship.

Yeah, exactly.

Or Riki Fluety who has finished his English career and is returning to play ITM Cup for Wellington. Dylan Hartley on the other hand I don't have a problem with.

I have no problem with someone who was born and bred in NZ going off to play for Equatorial Guinea if they like the culture. I just don't like it when the player's decision has to do with purely footballing reasons.

Not true, both his kids are NZ born and he has said he wants to stay in Wellington after he retires.

You may well be right, but but my kids were born in NZ and one lives in London and the other in Australia.

I'm Wellington born, but moved to Aus when i was 5. Im still in Australia 15 years later, having spent nearly my entire schooling life here. I still associate myself completely as a NZ, even though most of my family have either left or passed away in NZ. 

I fell its all about how a person associates themselves, I feel as much as a kiwi now as I always have. My cousin on the otherhand, who was in a similar situation, feels more Australian than Kiwi.

If a player associates himself as a kiwi, whether he was born here or not, and he is good enough than that is enough for me for him to be an All White/ Black etc..

I'm in the same boat as you. I came over to Australia when I was 10 and am still here 12 years later and consider myself a full Kiwi. The fact I did most of my primary school there and have many memories along with family there. It would be different if you were only 2-3 years old and can't remember anything and then left the country for another. 

If someone wants to represent NZ because they feel Kiwi and want to use it as a way to thank the country for giving them opportunities to be successful and provide a positive environment (especially those from less fortunate backgrounds) for them and their family then I can't complain. 

Those who just want to represent New Zealand for their own self gain probably do not deserve the chance in my opinion because that shouldn't be what national team football is about. 

Can you explain the last sentence. I'm not sure what you mean?

Sorry I rushed and didn't check. I've adjusted it and here it is.

If someone wants to represent NZ because they feel Kiwi and want to use it as a way to thank the country for giving them opportunities to be successful and provide a positive environment (especially those from less fortunate backgrounds) for them and their family then I can't complain.

Those who just want to represent New Zealand for their own self gain probably do not deserve the chance in my opinion because that shouldn't be what national team football is about. 

Disagree with this. In fact I find it hard to believe. Once you start making subjective judgements about a players motivations and his desire to live in NZ now or when he retires, you are not doing your job properly as a selector.

Basis for selection to NZ team. 1. Eligible 2. Better than others in that position 3. Available

Had we taken this line I doubt we would have quaified for Spain '82 and SA '10.

In 82 all the players that were not NZ born has come to this country for a better life. They did not come here to specifically come to get into the world cup side. Guys like Turner and Elrick came to NZ as kids. Sumner arrived when he was18. There  a lot more like that in the 82 team so I don't agree with you.

I don't know about that, I wouldn't be surprised if he stayed here after he retired

Time will tell.

Fair enough, given I was only 6 months old at the time and having met the said blokes above who all still have strong English and Scottish accents I wasn't sure.  

Still it was quite easy for a foreigner to play for the AWs back then as some players with 1/2 caps from the 60s/70s/80s show.

That's spot on Leggy and you would know having been involved in football here back in those days. Pretty much all the British-born 1982 All Whites still live in NZ and I see the Christchurch-based ones like Sumner and Wooddin at games sometimes. These guys have contributed to NZ in other fields too: Steve Sumner and Bobby Almond (business), Northern Irish immigrant John Hill is still a journalist on the Gisborne Herald and prominent in his church. Billy McClure was still playing in Auckland well into his forties at a decent level - his son William currently plays for Fencibles in Northern Region Div. 2. On the other hand, some of the NZ-born and raised playerss like Richard Wilson and Glenn Dods continue to live in Australia.

This sums it up for me: Gisborne Herald junior football report on You Tube recently with John Hill's grandson:

"Tigher is the grandson of 1982 World Cup All White and Gisborne Herald reporter John Hill, who is recovering from a nasty accident at church which has seen him out of action for several weeks. Hill, who has picked Argentina to win the World Cup, is to appear with New Zealand footballing great and fellow 1982 All White Wynton Rufer at a breakfast at Peppers restaurant on Saturday morning. As to the prospects of his grandson, Hill said at the moment if you offered him a football or a skateboard to play with, it would be a toss-up as to what he would prefer. "Tigher's first question before the tournament was, 'grandpa do I still get a dollar a goal', said Hill. Tigher scored five."

Lets be honest, Tommy Smith of Ipswich only spent about six years in NZ as a schoolboy and has a pretty tenuous link to being a NZer. He's in the All Whites because he qualifies, but as his recent reluctance to play AW friendlies shows, I wouldn't say he's jumping out of his skin to don the white shirt. However he has been a battler for the cause in the past. I would think if he could get into the England squad he's much prefer that.

In the past the All Whites provided an opportunity for middling British players to get to be internationals. Some showed great commitment and stayed in NZ others returned to Britain. It's a difficult one when it comes to internationals. Even Rory Fallon, although born here to a NZ mother, tried to break into English age group ranks before accepting the AWs were his only international outlet.

I'd much prefer an AW squad all born in NZ, or fully naturalized. But if there's a good player from overseas who spends enough time playing in NZ to qualify, then we'd be a bit short-sighted to overlook them. If Tade ever becomes a NZ resident (he must qualify next year) then I'd much prefer him over Brockie in the AWs. Imagine Tade and Wood up front - now there's a goal scoring duo. Much as I rate Reira I think he's too old to be useful for the AWs. As for McGlinchey, he only spent eight months here after being born in Wellington but that is still a link. If he spends a few seasons at the Nix, as I hope he does, then that only reinforces his connection. But I still think of him as a Scot at heart.

So you are ok with Tade (5 years in NZ) but uneasy about Smith (6 years)?

Well Tade is an adult and has lived here for a while and Smith was born in the UK and lived here as a youth so he know more about the UK than NZ. He also played for England U17 & 18 so he more than likely chose NZ because he had no show of making the full England team.

Were a lot of you not the ones complaining about ACFC having so many Spanish players (including Riera)? And now you're all good with him playing for the All Whites? 

Not me. The more exotic the ASB the better IMO. And don't think Riera should be an AW unless he marries a Kiwi and they have a pet sheep in the back yard.

I think you've gotten complaining and mockery a bit muddled alireggae