According to ZB, Uffie talked to him but he was not prepared to move his family or live apart from them, which he tried during his MLS stint. Guess that answers that question.
According to ZB, Uffie talked to him but he was not prepared to move his family or live apart from them, which he tried during his MLS stint. Guess that answers that question.
Maybe if he's clubless around the Club World Cup he can join Auckland City for 1 game lol
Sounds like he will either retire (and maybe take up a coaching gig there or something) or find a club there for one last payday. If he won't move to NZ you can't imagine he'd move back to Europe.
Sounds like he will either retire (and maybe take up a coaching gig there or something) or find a club there for one last payday. If he won't move to NZ you can't imagine he'd move back to Europe.
I wonder if he did any badges while at West Ham during his long spell out injured. Elite players typically get fast-tracked through them so he wouldn't have to do as much as others would. I wouldn't be too shocked to see him move back to Europe though, he has lived in Denmark/England from the age of 10 up to last year, it's probably 'home' much more than New Zealand at this point.
over 3 years ago· edited over 3 years ago· History
Wouldn't be the worse thing for NZ Football if he got involved in some type of football academy in either the UK or Denmark, that then might have links to NZ aka Torslanda in Sweden. Any extra help in Europe for young Kiwis trodding the tough pro football path is always a bonus. He has his football academy/foundation in NZ, for young Maori footballers.
But sounds like his family are settled for now in the UAE? His wife is Russian? Plenty of Ruskies around Dubai & nearby.
Of our 3 long serving EPL players (Nellie, Reid & the Woodsman) the latter has always stood out as the most likely to come home, for a few years in the ALM. Maybe as the face of a new Auckland team about 2026/2027. He'll be 34-35 yrs old then.
Tax is only an issue for Reid if he is a tax resident. He has not lived in NZ since he was a child. Depending on where he is a resident would affect his tax status (Denmark etc).
I thought he had a payout.
I've not lived back home in NZ since '06 but the IRD wanted all my info when I opened a Kiwibank account in 2019. IRD/NZ Govt really does not like the idea of kiwis earning tax free income and bringing it to NZ without their cut.
Supporter world's best and worst football teams: Waikato/WaiBop, Kingz, Knights, Phoenix, The Argyle, The Whites & the All Whites
Went and watched Takapuna play Melville United in the Chatham Cup today, first time I've really been in their clubrooms.
The framed FC Midtjylland is cool, have the same shirt myself, got Winston to try and sign it at an All Whites signing but the vivid was crap, so you cant really see his signature.
Went and watched Takapuna play Melville United in the Chatham Cup today, first time I've really been in their clubrooms.
The framed FC Midtjylland is cool, have the same shirt myself, got Winston to try and sign it at an All Whites signing but the vivid was crap, so you cant really see his signature.
Anyways made me wonder what he is up to now?
Anyone know?
posted an interview with him on the all whites forum. Hes still in qatar. . Says he hasnt found a club but hasn't said he wont in the future (so not closing the door to ever playing again). Plans to stay where he is for a few years more then back tk the uk.
over 2 years ago· edited over 2 years ago· History
From Flying Kiwis. Someone speculated he could be in the UAE for tax reasons after that big West Ham payout. They could well be right.
I still won't rule him out of playing again, and trying to make the 2026 WC. He wouldn't be the first 37-38 yr old CB to play at a WC. Everything he did post Covid up to the CR playoff, was all about trying to play in a 2nd WC. Class is permanent (if you are match fit) and all that.
Winston Reid had a chat with the West Ham media crew last month in honour of his 35th birthday in which he didn’t entirely rule out the possibility of him playing again. Won’t be in the Prem if it does happen but still...
Winston Reid, 3 July 2023: “I’m 35 today but, as everyone knows, the longer you leave it to find another club then the harder it becomes... We’ll just have to see what happens but meanwhile we’re living in Dubai and we’ll probably stay here with our kids for a few more years. Right now, it’s just a place in time but we’ll definitely be coming back to the UK at some stage because, after being a West Ham United player for eleven years, London is certainly still our home.”
You don't pay income tax in the UAE, so it's likely a good reason why he is there now, whilst he continues to draw his healthy annual payout from West Ham.
His 6.5 year contract extension signed with West Ham in 2017, has only just expired in June this year. When Reid departed by mutual consent in 2021, it was reported West Ham still owed Reid, £6.5 million. But they reached an agreement that would see the club paying a figure in the region of £5.5 million, as installments. Presumably over a longer time span than the then just 2 years remaining on his contract.
So maybe there is just no financial incentive, to play for any club outside the UAE. He'll keep himself fit - maybe he does Steven Taylor bootcamps - and then if he ever finds the right UAE club/feels the urge he'll put the boots on again.
Or maybe by say 2025 the West Ham payments stop, and he moves back to London, as is no longer any financial reason to stay in Dubai. At age 35-36 could he play for Leyton Orient, Gillingham or similar. You couldn't rule it out completely.
Reid played his last competitive match in October 2022, captaining the All Whites against the Socceroos at Eden Park. He has barely kicked a ball since – “I don’t know how that would look” – with morning runs and gym work his main exercise. The family have enjoyed their UAE stint, particularly 9-year-old twins Ariana and Damien – “They enjoy the outdoors with sport and are very rarely home”.
Reid spent a year building a house – “longer than expected” - and has doing consultancy work for his former player agency BTAM. He has no ambition to become an agent but wants to “carve his own niche”, helping players and clubs across different aspects.
How good would it have been to have him as part of the Phoenix squad for the last season or two if he was fit enough!
A real shame that the player behind one of NZ football's most iconic moments has kinda just slid into retirement without any of the recognition or fanfare he deserves.
How good would it have been to have him as part of the Phoenix squad for the last season or two if he was fit enough!
A real shame that the player behind one of NZ football's most iconic moments has kinda just slid into retirement without any of the recognition or fanfare he deserves.
The AWs match against Socceroos at Eden Park in 2022, was his send off. Awful game of football, but he was acknowledged then.
And with the Hammers his exit due to injury there was softened by one of the biggest severance payouts they have ever had to make. Speculation that, that is why Winnie has been in the UAE the last few years. Minimising his tax bill from that several million GBP payout. I bet the new Dubai home looks okay!
Anyway good to see him still involved with the game in NZ, even if from afar.
An enjoyable interview for any Kiwi football fan. Reid is both laid back and articulate and has a good memory for details of his career. Podcast interviewer James Collins, Reid's former Hammers team mate reveals that the Hammers' last game at the old Boleyn ground and Reid's goal is his favourite memory of his entire playing career (which includes an FA Cup Final). That truly was one of the great moments of all Kiwi footballers playing abroad.