5 most successful footballers from nations currently ranked outside the FIFA top 100

#3 Chris Wood – Burnley and New Zealand (ranked #122)

Burnley's Chris Wood also leads the line for New Zealand

2020 marks a decade since the New Zealand national football team last qualified for a World Cup, and of course, that tournament remains famous for fans of the All Whites, as despite elimination at the group stage, they returned home surprisingly unbeaten after 3 draws, including one against holders Italy.

Will New Zealand qualify for another World Cup soon? It’s possible, and part of the reason for that is the fact that they can call upon a proven Premier League goalscorer to lead the line in the form of Burnley’s Chris Wood. The 28-year-old has been capped 56 times for the All Whites, and has scored 24 goals since debuting in 2009.

At club level Wood has always been a dependable if not prolific goalscorer, and after scoring 27 goals in the EFL Championship for Leeds United in 2016-17, he made the move to Burnley during the following season and has since scored 34 goals for the club.

As of writing, Wood has scored 10 Premier League goals for the Clarets in the current 2019-20 campaign, including strikes in wins over Leicester City and Manchester United – making him arguably Sean Dyche’s most important player.

About the author

Scott is a veteran MMA writer with over two decades of experience, including his ongoing tenure in Sportskeeda, which began seven years ago. He has written over 3000 pieces for the organization, while also covering football. Before joining Sportskeeda, Scott wrote articles for websites like The Oratory and Inside Pulse MMA.

Scott has a degree in history, which drives his research skills and helps him compile accurate information. His long stint in the field helps Scott provide a clear take on important topics, such as the criticism of promotions regarding fighter pay. While he feels fighters deserve a bigger revenue share, he doesn’t want MMA to suffer with purse-split issues.

Scott’s work has been previously reshared by the former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman. He uses credible sources, such as the UFC’s official website, during the writing process.

His dedication to MMA writing won him the Feature Writer of the Month award for Sportskeeda in November 2021.

Outside of work, Scott likes to go to the gym, walk his dog, and travel.

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Edited by Arvind Sriram