New Danish All White follows Kiwi heart

TONY BROCHNER

COMING HOME: Winston Reid practises his ball skills in Denmark where he plays for FC Midtjylland in the Danish Super League. He has lived in Denmark since he was 10 years old but has decided to play for the All Whites.

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New All Whites recruit Winston Reid says his decision to play for New Zealand is based on his Maori roots and about following his heart.

The 21-year-old defender from Denmark last week raised eyebrows, both in his old and new homes, when declaring his allegiance to New Zealand.

"It was the hardest decision of my life, but in the end I am a New Zealander and a Maori," Reid told The Press yesterday.

New Zealand coach Ricki Herbert had just about given up on Reid being available for the All Whites.

Reid, who plays for FC Midtjylland in the Danish Super League and has represented his adopted nation at under-19 and under-21 levels, will be in the squad to play Australia in May.

Questioned about the timing of the decision, Reid explained that he had been mulling the issue for six, seven months.

"Honestly, I have been thinking about coming back to New Zealand for some time. It was just a gut-feeling I had. But it was something I needed time with. It needed a lot of time."

Reid left New Zealand at the age of 10 when his mother moved to Europe with her new Danish partner. "I spend half my life in Denmark, so it was a split decision."

"I figured out that New Zealand is the country where I fit best and the country I can best represent, so that's ultimately what forced the decision the way it went."

He also wanted to set the record straight about a recent report in which a Danish magazine quoted him saying he had committed to Denmark.

"It was not what I said. They just asked me whether I was happy in Denmark and I said yes.

"At that stage I had already spoken to Ricki, but if I had decided to play in Denmark, there was no point telling the journalist that I was also talking to Ricki."

Critics on both sides of the globe have questioned the timing of his switch and some football websites even suggested that Reid jumped ship because he was not going to make the Danish World Cup squad.

"If it was just about the World Cup I could have just picked up a phone four months ago to tell Ricki that I want to be in. But that's not the person I am."

Danish football journalist Thomas Damm, of the Herning Folkeblad, confirmed that Reid was always a "zero percent" chance of being in their World Cup team "because we've got plenty of world-class defenders."

Reid agreed: "I was not expecting to go the World Cup with Denmark. All my focus was on the U21 Euros next year."

The defender was not fazed by his critics, but more concerned about his new team-mates when the All Whites go into pre-World Cup camp in May.

"Suddenly, I've got to prove to the rest of the squad that I deserve to be part of the team.

"I just want to get on a pitch with those guys and show them all the hard work I've put in over the years and that I might be able to help them."

Reid told The Press three years ago that his stepfather was a major influence in his career and passionate about him playing for Denmark, but he said that his family and friends in both countries supported his decision.

"They just want me to be happy."

His clubmates are also supportive, but the general Danish public struggle to understand why one of Denmark's hottest young prospects would prefer the 80th ranked team from the end of the world over one of Europe's prominent footballing nations.

"I had to explain to a few people that sometimes you have to follow your heart and your gut feeling. And that's what I'm doing."

Reid visits his father and wider family in Auckland each year. He said his ties with the country and his whanau remained tight even though he cannot recall which tribes his Maori parents belonged to.

The decision to don the white strip was about more than just football, it was also about where he belonged.

"After my career is finished, I'll probably go home and do something with football down there. New Zealand has always been my country and I miss it a lot, even though I'm up here and have a really good life."

That may be a while because Danish media reports link Reid with Serie A teams Fiorentina, Palermo and Sampdoria.

Even FC Midtjylland's website predicts that he will be the next big-money transfer to bolster the club's coffers.

- © Fairfax NZ News