Chris Wood (footballer, Born 1991)
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Christopher Grant Wood (born 7 December 1991) is a New Zealand professional
footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...
who plays as a forward for club
Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest Football Club is a professional association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Founde ...
and captains the New Zealand national team. Wood started his senior career with
Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...
,
Waikato The Waikato () is a region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato District, Waipā District, Matamata-Piako District, South Waikato District and Hamilton City, as well as Hauraki, Coromandel Peninsula, the nort ...
and Hamilton Wanderers before moving to England to play for Premier League club
West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club (), commonly known as West Brom or The Albion, is a professional association football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the Englis ...
. He spent his time on loan to six different clubs before joining Leicester City in 2013. After a loan spell with Ipswich Town in 2015, he signed for
Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this sys ...
club
Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system. Leeds United have won the League Championship th ...
where he became the top scorer in the 2016–17 season, with 27 goals. Wood then joined
Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2021 population of 78,266. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River B ...
for a club record fee, and became a consistent goalscorer for them in the Premier League, notching up 49 goals in 144 matches over four and a half seasons. In January 2022 he joined
Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Since th ...
for £25 million (€29 million), making him the most expensive Oceania player of all time. Wood has been capped 82 times for the New Zealand national team and scored 44 goals, making him the all-time leading goalscorer for his country, and second overall (Men and Women) after
Amber Hearn Amber Liarnie Rose Hearn (born 28 November 1984) is a New Zealand former professional Association football, soccer player who represented New Zealand women's national football team, New Zealand between 2004 and 2018. A prolific scorer, she is th ...
. He played for the team at the
2010 FIFA World Cup The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national Association football, football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010. ...
, and was part of the squad that won the
2016 OFC Nations Cup The 2016 OFC Nations Cup was the tenth edition of the OFC Nations Cup, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Oceania organised by the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC). The tournament was played between 28 May and 11 Jun ...
.


Early and personal life

Wood was born in
Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...
to Grant and Julie Wood; his mother is from England. Wood began his footballing career at Onehunga Sports; after moving to
Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...
aged 11, he attended
St Paul's Collegiate School St Paul's Collegiate School is a private (independent) Anglican secondary school in Hamilton, New Zealand, Hamilton, New Zealand. Opened in 1959 originally as a boys only school, the school began admitting girls in years 12 to 13 in 1985, then ...
. Wood's sister, Chelsey Wood, is also a footballer, and has represented New Zealand at under-20 level. In June 2024, Wood married his long-term partner Emma Lovell, a solicitor. In October 2024, Wood revealed that he and his wife are expecting a baby girl, Wood's first child.


Club career


Early career

Wood began his senior career with
Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...
, scoring on his debut in the NRFL Division 2 in 2006 aged just 14, and after a spell at local rivals Hamilton Wanderers the following season in the NRFL Premier, he attracted the attention of
ASB Premiership The New Zealand Football Championship () was a men's association football league at the top of the New Zealand league system. Founded in 2004, the New Zealand Football Championship was the successor to a myriad of short-lived football leagues in ...
club
Waikato The Waikato () is a region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato District, Waipā District, Matamata-Piako District, South Waikato District and Hamilton City, as well as Hauraki, Coromandel Peninsula, the nort ...
.


West Bromwich Albion

Wood was recommended to
West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club (), commonly known as West Brom or The Albion, is a professional association football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the Englis ...
's Academy by coach Roger Wilkinson, who set up a trial for him. He found a rich vein of goal scoring form for West Brom's youth academy side, leading to a call-up to the reserve team where he was just as prolific. Injuries to several West Brom players saw Wood handed a surprise call up to the first-team for a Premier League match against
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...
at
Fratton Park Fratton Park is a association football, football ground in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England, and is the home of Portsmouth F.C., Portsmouth Football Club. Fratton Park's location on Portsea Island is unique in English professional football, as it ...
in April 2009. He came on as a substitute to become just the fifth New Zealander to play in the Premier League. At the end of the 2008–09 season, Wood signed his first professional contract, of two years with a further two-year option in the club's favour. This was followed in December 2009 with a new three-and-a-half-year deal, with West Brom having the option to extend that for a further year. He scored his first professional goal for West Brom on 15 September 2009, a "stunning" 25-yard strike into the top left corner, in a 3–1 win over
Doncaster Rovers Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system after winning the 202 ...
.


Loan spells

Wood was sent out on a 93-day emergency
loan In finance, a loan is the tender of money by one party to another with an agreement to pay it back. The recipient, or borrower, incurs a debt and is usually required to pay interest for the use of the money. The document evidencing the deb ...
to
Barnsley Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. It is the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. The town's population was 71,422 in 2021, while the wider boroug ...
on 24 September 2010. The loan was terminated early by mutual consent after seven league appearances for the club without scoring. On 19 November, Wood signed for Brighton & Hove Albion on loan until January 2011. He scored on his debut against Bristol Rovers but saw a penalty saved just days later against
Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...
. He added to his scoring tally in the 3–1 FA Cup win over Portsmouth, and scored twice against Peterborough United. The day before the first match of the
Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this sys ...
season, Wood joined
Birmingham City Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. The team compete in the ...
on a one-month loan. He made his debut the following day, replacing Keith Fahey in the second half of a 2–1 defeat at Derby County. Playing as the lone striker in Birmingham's first match in major European competition for nearly 50 years, the Europa League play-off round first leg against Portuguese club Nacional, Wood hit the frame of the goal twice. The game finished goalless. He scored his first goal for Birmingham in the second leg of the tie against Nacional. On 11 September, Wood scored a
hat-trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three Wick ...
to lead Birmingham to victory over Millwall, followed by two goals against
Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest Football Club is a professional association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Founde ...
on 2 October to take his league total to seven goals from eight games. His loan was then extended for a second time, until 5 January 2012. His eighth, to clinch a 2–0 win over Leicester City, came when
Marlon King Marlon Francis King (born 26 April 1980) is a former professional association football, footballer who played as a Forward (association football), striker. Born and raised in south London, he started his career in non-League football with Dulw ...
played a cross-field ball for Wood to run on to and, according to ''
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'', "the composure he revealed to go past Kasper Schmeichel and slot the ball home from an angle was impressive". Four days later, Wood scored in the 10th minute of stoppage time to defeat
Club Brugge (), known simply as Club Brugge (in English also: ''Club Bruges''), is a Belgian professional football club based in Bruges, Belgium. It was founded in 1891 and its home ground is the Jan Breydel Stadium, which has a capacity of 29,042. They pl ...
2–1 in the Europa League group stage. His loan ended on 5 January 2012, after 29 games in all competitions from which he scored 11 goals. After returning to West Bromwich Albion as an unused substitute in their third round FA Cup tie against Cardiff City, Wood joined Championship club
Bristol City Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England. The team compete in the , the second level of the English football league system. Founded in 1894, the club competed in the Southern League and Western L ...
on loan until the end of the 2011–12 season. He scored three goals during his loan spell with the club, his first goal coming on his home debut in a 2–1 win over Doncaster Rovers on 21 January. His other two goals came in back to back matches, one against Nottingham Forest on 7 April, where it was the only goal of the game, and then two days later at home to Coventry City in a 3–1 win. On 17 September 2012, Wood completed a two-month loan deal to Championship side Millwall. He made his Millwall debut as a substitute for Darius Henderson against Cardiff City, and on his first start, scored a consolation goal against his former club Brighton & Hove Albion. On 18 November, Wood extended his loan until January 2013, and scored the winner against
Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system. Leeds United have won the League Championship th ...
on the same day. On 24 November, he scored the opening goal away to
Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second level of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. Th ...
, a powerful shot from 25 yards, helping the visitors to a 2–0 victory.


Leicester City

West Bromwich Albion recalled Wood from Millwall on 27 December 2012, and announced the following day that they had accepted offers from Millwall and fellow Championship club Leicester City for the permanent transfer of Wood. He chose to join the latter, and the move was expected to be completed when the January 2013 transfer window opens. Leicester confirmed that the player had agreed personal terms. Wood started and scored twice after only 24 minutes in his first game for Leicester on 1 January 2013 against Huddersfield Town, initially joining on loan to be registered in time to play. On 12 January 2013, Wood scored a first-half hat-trick against Bristol City at Ashton Gate to take his goal tally to six goals in three games for Leicester. He finished the regular season with 11 goals in 24 appearances, helping Leicester qualify for the Championship play-offs. On 12 May 2013, Wood played in the semi-final second leg against
Watford Watford () is a town and non-metropolitan district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Hertfordshire, England, northwest of Central London, on the banks of the River Colne, Hertfordshire, River Colne. Initially a smal ...
but the team were knocked out by the opposition 3–2 on aggregate. On 26 March 2014, TV footage appeared to support Leicester goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel's claim that he had scored what would have been the first goal of his career, when Leicester equalised in injury time against Yeovil Town. However, the match officials ruled that his header had not crossed the line, and the goal was officially credited to Wood, who followed up to put the ball in the net. Five days later, after replacing Jamie Vardy as a substitute, Wood scored a "stunning" long-range volley against
Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2021 population of 78,266. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River B ...
to put Leicester six points clear at the top of the Championship. Wood finished the season with 8 goals in all competitions as Leicester were promoted to the Premier League at the end of the season as champions. On 16 August 2014, he came on for Leonardo Ulloa after 78 minutes of Leicester's first match of the Premier League season, at home to Everton. Seven minutes later he scored the equaliser in a 2–2 draw. On 27 February 2015, Wood joined Ipswich Town on loan until the end of the season. He made his debut for Ipswich against
Norwich City Norwich City Football Club is a professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk, England. The club competes in the Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was founded in 1902. Since 1935, Norwich have played their h ...
on 1 March, playing eight matches for them without scoring. However, on 25 April, he was recalled by his parent club during their successful fight to avoid relegation from the Premier League.


Leeds United

On 1 July 2015, Wood joined Championship club Leeds United on a four-year contract for an undisclosed fee, reported to be in the range of . As a result, he became Leeds' most expensive signing since the arrival of Nick Barmby in August 2002. Wood was given the number 9 shirt for the coming season. On 8 August, the opening day of the season, Wood made his debut for Leeds in the Championship in a 1–1 draw against Burnley. Four days later, Wood missed his attempt in a
penalty shoot-out The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pe ...
against Doncaster Rovers in the League Cup, with Leeds losing the shoot-out 4–2 after a 1–1 draw. Wood scored his first goal for Leeds on 19 August in a 2–2 draw with Bristol City. Near the end of the season, he scored his 13th goal of the season on 7 May 2016 against Preston North End in a 1–1 draw to finish as his club's top goal scorer for the 2015–16 season. Wood scored his first goal of the following season on 10 August 2016, in their League Cup fixture against Fleetwood Town, and his first league goal was an injury-time equaliser a week later with a
bicycle kick In association football, a bicycle kick, also known as an overhead kick or scissors kick, is an acrobatic strike where a player kicks an airborne ball rearward in midair. It is achieved by throwing the body backward up into the air and, before ...
in a 1–1 draw with Fulham. He scored again in the next match, as Leeds beat
Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an off ...
2–0, and by the end of September had seven goals in all competitions. His ninth goal of the season came in extra time of the League Cup fourth-round tie against Norwich to make the score 2–2, and he converted his kick as Leeds won in a penalty shoot-out. He opened the scoring against
Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...
in mid-December, but had to leave the field in the first half with what proved to be a minor hamstring injury. Wood's 16th goal of the season, in a 1–0 win against Derby County on 13 January, sent Leeds third in the Championship table. A week later, he scored twice in a 3–2 defeat against Barnsley; this was the first time that Leeds had lost a match in which Wood had scored. He reached 20 for the season on 25 January in a 2–0 win over Nottingham Forest that returned Leeds to third in the table, and continued to score regularly, although Leeds were unable to maintain their playoff position. His last goal of the season, a penalty to equalise in a 1–1 draw with
Wigan Athletic Wigan Athletic Football Club is a professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. Founded in 1932, they have p ...
, took him to 30 goals in all competitions, and his 27 in the league made him the Championship top scorer. Wood won the EFL Championship Player of the Month award for January 2017, and was voted PFA Fans' Championship Player of the Month for both January and March. He was shortlisted for Championship Player of the Season, but lost out to Brighton's Anthony Knockaert. Wood and teammate Pontus Jansson were named in the EFL Championship Team of the Season and the EFL (all divisions) Team of the Season, and Wood was the only Leeds player selected for the PFA Championship Team of the Year. At club level, he won Leeds United's Player of the Year and Players' Player of the Year awards for 2016–17. On 6 August 2017, Wood scored his first goal of the season in the 3–2 victory against
Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club ( ) is a professional association football, football club based in Horwich, Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in EFL League One, League One, the third level of the Englis ...
. On 18 August, after the club had rejected a £12 million offer from Premier League club Burnley earlier in the week, Leeds offered Wood a new three-year contract in an attempt to keep him at the club. In the expectation of a further, successful, bid, he ruled himself out of the match against
Sunderland Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...
on 19 August.


Burnley

On 21 August 2017, Wood signed a four-year contract with Premier League club
Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2021 population of 78,266. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River B ...
for an undisclosed club-record fee, widely reported as £15 million. Wood made his Burnley debut on 27 August against
Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Tottenham (, , , ) or Spurs, is a professional Association football, football club based in Tottenham, North London, England. The club itself has stated that it should always ...
at
Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium, currently branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE Limited, EE for sponsorship reasons, is an association football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Sta ...
in the Premier League, and scored an equaliser in the second minute of stoppage time in a match which finished 1–1. On 19 September, in the
EFL Cup The English Football League Cup, often referred to as the League Cup and currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout competition in men's domestic football in England. Orga ...
third round, Wood scored against his former club Leeds United at
Turf Moor Turf Moor is an association football stadium in Burnley, Lancashire, England, which has been the home of Burnley F.C., Burnley Football Club since 1883. This unbroken service makes Turf Moor the second-longest continuously used ground in Footbal ...
in the 89th minute from the penalty spot. The match ended 2–2 after
extra time Overtime (OT) or extra time (ET) is an additional period of play to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw where the scores are the same. In some sports, this extra period is played only if the game is required t ...
, and Leeds won the match 5–3 on penalties. On 8 November 2019, Wood signed a new contract committing himself to Burnley until 2023. Wood scored in the final match of the 2019–20 season in Burnley's 2–1 defeat to Brighton on 26 July 2020. It was his 14th goal of the season, both his highest return in the Premier League and best scoring season overall in a Burnley shirt. On 6 March 2021, Wood scored his 40th goal in the Premier League in a 1–1 draw against
Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
, as well as becoming the eighth player in the history of the club to start 100 Premier League games for Burnley. On 25 April, he scored his first hat-trick for Burnley in a 4–0 away league win against
Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club ( ), commonly referred to as Wolves, is a professional association football, football club based in Wolverhampton, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league s ...
, becoming the first New Zealander to score three goals in a Premier League match.


Newcastle United

On 13 January 2022, Wood signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with
Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Since th ...
for a fee reported to be £25 million, after his release clause was triggered. Newcastle manager
Eddie Howe Edward John Frank Howe (born 29 November 1977) is an English professional football manager and former player, who is the manager of Premier League club Newcastle United. A centre-back during his playing career, Howe spent most of his playing ...
said that Wood was an important signing at a crucial time of the season. Wood himself saw the move as an "exciting opportunity" after becoming the club's second signing since the takeover from a Saudi-backed consortium. He made his Newcastle debut two days after signing when he started in a 1–1 draw against Watford, and his first goal for the club was the equaliser in a 2–1 league win over Southampton on 10 March.


Nottingham Forest

Wood found his first-team chances at Newcastle limited, and on 20 January 2023, he joined Premier League club
Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest Football Club is a professional association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Founde ...
on loan to the end of the season. The deal included an obligation to buy should certain conditions be met. His first goal, an 84th-minute tap-in, earned Forest a draw at home to
Manchester City Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...
on 18 February. On 30 March 2023, the club announced Wood would miss the rest of the season with a thigh injury. In June 2023, his transfer to Nottingham Forest became permanent, for a reported fee of £15 million. Later that year, on 26 December, he scored a hat-trick in a 3–1 away victory over Newcastle United, becoming only the fourth player in Premier League history to achieve this feat against his former club following
Andy Cole Andrew Alexander Cole (born 15 October 1971) is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker. His professional career lasted from 1988 to 2008, and is mostly remembered for his time with Manchester United, who paid a Brit ...
, Marcus Bent and Joshua King. In the 2023–24 season, Wood was Nottingham Forest's top goalscorer, with 15 goals in 35 appearances across all competitions. Wood was named the Premier League Player of the Month for October 2024, as the league's top scorer for the month with four goals in his three appearances. He became the first Nottingham Forest player and first New Zealander to win the award. On 7 December 2024, he became Forest's top leading goalscorer in the Premier League, bypassing
Bryan Roy Bryan Eduard Steven Roy (born 12 February 1970) is a Dutch association football, football manager and a former professional player. As a player he was a winger (association football), winger and notably played for AFC Ajax, Ajax, Nottingham Fore ...
, as he netted the winner in a 3–2 away victory over
Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
. The goal was Wood's 25th for the club, and secured Forest's first win at
Old Trafford Old Trafford () is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and is the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 74,197, it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after W ...
since a 2–1 triumph on 17 December 1994. In January 2025, Wood signed a new deal with the club, extending his contract to 2027. On 1 February, he netted a hat-trick, the third goal of which was a penalty, in a 7–0 victory over Brighton, becoming the first Nottingham Forest player to achieve this feat at the
City Ground The City Ground is a association football, football stadium in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England, on the banks of the River Trent. It has been home to Nottingham Forest F.C., Nottingham Forest since 1898 and has a capacity of 30,455. ...
in the top flight since Nigel Clough in December 1987. Wood scored his 20th goal of the season on 11 May during a 2–2 draw against his former club Leicester City, which secured Forest's qualification for European competitions for the first time in 30 years.


International career

Wood represented New Zealand at under-17 level and was a standout performer for the All Whites at the 2007 FIFA U-17 World Cup, a tournament which earned him a trial with West Brom, for whom he later signed. After a string of impressive performances at club level, Wood's rise on the international stage continued as he was fast-tracked into All Whites coach
Ricki Herbert Ricki Lloyd Herbert (born 10 April 1961) is a New Zealand former footballer and manager. He is the current director of football at Hamilton Wanderers AFC. Herbert was formerly head coach of the New Zealand national team, stepping down after ...
's squad for the
2009 FIFA Confederations Cup The 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup was the eighth FIFA Confederations Cup, Confederations Cup, and was held in South Africa from 14 June to 28 June 2009, as a prelude to the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The draw was held on 22 November 2008 at the Sandton ...
in South Africa. He made his debut in a friendly against
Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...
on 3 June 2009 in a warm-up match for the tournament. In May 2010, Wood was named in the All Whites World Cup squad for the
2010 FIFA World Cup The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national Association football, football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010. ...
, and at 18 was the youngest member of the New Zealand team which travelled to South Africa. He came on as a substitute in the first group match in a 1–1 draw against
Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...
as New Zealand claimed their first ever point in a World Cup finals match. He appeared as a substitute in New Zealand's remaining group matches, a 1–1 draw with
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
and a 0–0 draw with
Paraguay Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...
, as they were knocked out of the tournament after drawing all three group games. Wood scored his first international goal on 10 October 2010 in his country's 1–1 draw with
Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Ocean at the Gulf of Fonseca, ...
. He was given a yellow card for the unusual nature of his celebration of the goal, where he revealed his underwear to the spectators. Wood scored his first international hat-trick against
Solomon Islands Solomon Islands, also known simply as the Solomons,John Prados, ''Islands of Destiny'', Dutton Caliber, 2012, p,20 and passim is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 1000 smaller islands in Melanesia, part of Oceania, t ...
on 10 June 2012 in the third place play-off of the OFC Nations Cup. He was named in the New Zealand under-23 squad for the 2012 Olympics, and scored in a 1–1 draw against Egypt under-23s on 29 July 2012 at
Old Trafford Old Trafford () is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and is the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 74,197, it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after W ...
. He also started the final group game in a 3–0 defeat to Brazil under-23s which saw the New Zealand Olympic squad knocked out of the tournament. On 14 November 2014, Wood became the youngest ever captain for the All Whites, a record previously held by Tommy Smith. He scored four goals in the
2016 OFC Nations Cup The 2016 OFC Nations Cup was the tenth edition of the OFC Nations Cup, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Oceania organised by the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC). The tournament was played between 28 May and 11 Jun ...
for New Zealand, helping them win the tournament and to qualify for the Confederations Cup. With Wood being his country's vice-captain, in the absence of captain
Winston Reid Winston Wiremu Reid (born 3 July 1988) is a New Zealand former association football, footballer. He is most known for his time as a Defender (association football), defender with club West Ham United F.C., West Ham United and captaining the N ...
, he captained his country twice during November 2016, both against
New Caledonia New Caledonia ( ; ) is a group of islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean, southwest of Vanuatu and east of Australia. Located from Metropolitan France, it forms a Overseas France#Sui generis collectivity, ''sui generis'' collectivity of t ...
, first in a 3–0 victory on 12 November, and then in a 0–0 draw three days later. After being selected as captain for the
2017 FIFA Confederations Cup The 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup was the tenth and final edition of the FIFA Confederations Cup, a quadrennial international men's Association football, football tournament organised by FIFA. It was held in Russia, from 17 June to 2 July 2017, ...
, Wood scored his only goal of the tournament on 21 June in a 2–1 defeat against
Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
. Wood was named as one of the three overage players to participate in the
2020 Summer Olympics The officially the and officially branded as were an international multi-sport event that was held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some of the preliminary sporting events beginning on 21 July 2021. Tokyo ...
in Tokyo, Japan. In March 2022, after scoring twice during
New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
's 4–0 win over
Fiji Fiji, officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists of an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which about ...
at the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in Qatar, Wood became the men's leading goal scorer with 30 goals, overtaking the previous record of 29, held by Vaughan Coveny since 25 May 2006.


Career statistics


Club


International


Honours

West Bromwich Albion *
Football League Championship The English Football League Championship, known simply as the Championship and for sponsorship purposes as Sky Betting & Gaming, Sky Bet Championship, is a professional association football league in England and Wales. Contested by 24 clubs, i ...
runner-up: 2009–10 Brighton & Hove Albion *
Football League One The English Football League One, known as Sky Bet League One for sponsorship reasons, or simply League One, is a professional association football league in England. EFL League One is the second-highest division of the English Football League an ...
: 2010–11 Leicester City *Football League Championship: 2013–14 New Zealand *
OFC Nations Cup The OFC Men's Nations Cup, known as the OFC Nations Cup before the 2024 OFC Men's Nations Cup, 2024 edition, is the primary association football competition contested by the senior list of men's national association football teams, men's natio ...
:
2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...
; third place:
2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...
Individual *New Zealand U-20 Men's Player of the Year: 2008, 2009, 2011 *IFFHS OFC Best Man Player of the Decade 2011–2020 * Premier League Player of the Month: October 2024 * EFL Team of the Season: 2016–17 * EFL Championship Golden Boot: 2016–17 * Football League Championship Player of the Month: January 2017 *
PFA Team of the Year The Professional Footballers' Association Team of the Year (often called the PFA Team of the Year, or simply the Team of the Year) is an annual award given to a set of 55 footballers across the top four tiers of men's Football in England, En ...
: 2016–17 Championship *PFA Premier League Fans' Player of the Month: October 2024 * Leeds United Player of the Year: 2016–17 * IFFHS OFC Men's Team of the Decade 2011–2020 *
IFFHS The International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) is an organisation that chronicles the history and records of association football. It was founded in 1984 by Alfredo Pöge in Leipzig. The IFFHS was based in Abu Dhabi for so ...
Oceania Men's Team of All Time: 2021 *Burnley Player of the Year: 2020–21 *New Zealand Football Awards (Player of the Year): 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021 *New Zealand Football Awards (International player of the Year): 2019, 2021, 2023 *
Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
Fan Team of the Season: 2024–25 * ''The Athletic'' Premier League Team of the Season: 2024–25


Notes


References


External links


Profile
at the Nottingham Forest F.C. website * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wood, Chris 1991 births Living people Association footballers from Auckland New Zealand men's association footballers Men's association football forwards WaiBOP United players West Bromwich Albion F.C. players Barnsley F.C. players Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. players Birmingham City F.C. players Bristol City F.C. players Millwall F.C. players Leicester City F.C. players Ipswich Town F.C. players Leeds United F.C. players Burnley F.C. players Newcastle United F.C. players Nottingham Forest F.C. players Premier League players English Football League players New Zealand men's youth international footballers New Zealand men's under-23 international footballers Olympic association footballers for New Zealand New Zealand men's international footballers 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup players 2010 FIFA World Cup players 2012 OFC Nations Cup players Footballers at the 2012 Summer Olympics 2016 OFC Nations Cup players OFC Nations Cup–winning players 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup players Footballers at the 2020 Summer Olympics New Zealand expatriate men's association footballers Expatriate men's footballers in England New Zealand expatriate sportspeople in England People educated at St Paul's Collegiate School New Zealand people of English descent 21st-century New Zealand sportsmen