There are many variables but aside from talent and achievements, think of perseverance, attitude, commitment and longevity.
By those parameters. Chris Wood is not just one of our greatest footballers – only alongside Wynton Rufer – but one of our greatest sportspeople.
The striker hasn’t always got the recognition for his remarkable deeds but that has changed over the last two years. Simply because what he is doing for Nottingham Forest can’t be ignored, even by people who don’t really follow football.
In the most global sport of them all, Wood has reached a crazy altitude. There are millions of aspiring footballers around the world who dream about playing in the English Premier League – but Wood, a shy kid from Auckland – has done it. And he hasn’t just made it to the top, he has excelled.
In the richest, toughest football league he has accumulated 265 matches and found the net 91 times. Wood could achieve a century of Premier League goals later this season which would place him in the rarest of company, as only 34 men since 1992 have achieved that feat.
Wood has always had a special talent – ever since he was turning out for his school 1st XI as a 14-year-old – but that was no guarantee of success. He has taken a long, hard, road since he first arrived in England as a 17-year-old apprentice professional. Wood was almost sent home, before impressing in his final trial match at West Bromwich Albion. Over the next five years he played at seven different clubs, always trying to prove himself to the next coach, the next group of teammates and the next fanbase. It wasn’t easy, with some dark and difficult times, but he never stopped believing.
One of the first times I interviewed Wood was in May 2011. He was 19 years-old and halfway through a spell at Brighton, then in League One (the third tier of English football).
“It is a very physical league, but it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be,” he said down the phone from his two bedroom townhouse near the sea. “Most of the defenders give you a kick or two during the game but you just have to handle it. I have developed as a player – all my strengths have got better and I have tried to fine-tune my weaknesses.”
Wood then had time at Birmingham, Bristol City and Millwall before landing at Leicester City in early 2013. The Foxes were in the Championship (second tier) and the 21-year-old made an instant impact, with nine goals in his first 11 games.
“I feel like if I keep going and progressing the way I am, I will be ready for [the Premier League],” he told me. “Hopefully that will be next season.”
Unfortunately, that next season never happened; Leicester were promoted but Wood slipped down the pecking order among strikers, behind big name acquisitions. He had to wait four more years – until just before his 26th birthday before he finally got his Premier League chance with Burnley in August 2017. From there, he has never looked back, scoring against almost every team in the division, including heavyweights like Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea.
But despite his rise – and massive fame – Wood has never forgotten his roots. He has barely missed an All Whites match in that time – despite the travel involved and he is an amazing ambassador for the sport, a humble hero to kids and adults alike who is always available for a photo or autograph. True greatness indeed.